CARMEL, Ind. -- The gold medal has been by his side -- or in his golf bag or travel bag -- nearly every step, every mile, of the journey Justin Rose has taken from Rio de Janeiro to home in England and back to the United States for tournaments in New York, Boston and Indianapolis.The reaction to his Olympic Golf Tournament victory last month has been overwhelming, Rose said, and he wouldnt trade any of it.But the weight of that gold medal is dragging Rose down a bit during the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.Rose would not go so far as to say he is dealing with an Olympic hangover after shooting 2-under-par 70 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in the second round of the BMW Championship on Friday. But hes clearly had difficulty putting his game back to the level it was at in Rio.You look at my performance, you can say Im dragging, said Rose, who is tied for 53rd place and in danger of not qualifying for the Tour Championship in two weeks. I focused on the majors. I focused on the Olympics. Im happy to sacrifice this. Thats the way it is. You cant be on all the time.Ive not been fit, not been 100 percent. Its been an incredible year winning the gold medal, but Ive not really been at my best all year. But at least I can look back on that.Roses victory over Henrik Stenson was a compelling duel on the final day of the Olympic tournament, a battle of major champions that went down to the last hole. American Matt Kuchar took the bronze after shooting a final-round 63.The aftermath turned into a feel-good story for golf, which had been plagued by indifference and negativity heading into the games.Rose never had that attitude. He looked forward to the experience all year, and when a back injury surfaced in the spring, he turned his attention to getting healthy -- but he only competed in the U.S. Open, the WGC-Bridgestone and The Open prior to the Olympics.Since winning the gold, he returned to a heros welcome in the United Kingdom, where he said people wanting to see or touch the medal was tenfold to that of the U.S. Open trophy when he won it in 2013.It surprised me for sure, Rose said. It surprised me how many people watched, how much its resonated here, how people seem so fired up about it, to be honest with you. Kooch has said the same thing. I earned a medal for Team GB, but everyone has been so complimentary about it here (in the United States), I can only imagine what its been like for Kooch. Henrik felt the same way. Its been cool, its been big; the reaction has been bigger than I had imagined.Rose began the FedEx Cup playoffs in 40th place -- he lost two spots while competing at the Olympics -- and in reasonable shape to move into the top 30 in order to qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.But despite a game that he says is right there, Rose has had difficulty putting it all together in the playoffs. He tied for 31st at the Barclays -- where Phil Mickelson got him to put the gold medal around his neck when he putted out on the final green.Last week, Rose shot scores of 68, 67 and 69 at the Deutsche Bank Championship and was in good position, before a horrific back nine on Monday saw him shoot 79. He dropped to a tie for 57th place and fell to 50th position in the FedEx Cup standings.Through two rounds at Crooked Stick Golf Club, he is projected 55th and needs a big weekend to move into the top 30. Otherwise, he wont make it to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2009.Atlanta is a bittersweet thing right now, he said. I really want to be in Atlanta. Its looking unlikely at the moment. But the silver lining of that would be the extra week off for the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is a long week. So its not the end of the world if I dont make it.Rose said its difficult for the Ryder Cup not to be on his mind at this point. He noted the comments from spectators, such as, Take it easy on us this year -- a reference to Europe having won the past three Ryder Cups.Theyre more playful, boisterous, he said. Its been fun. It does build up around this time of year.Rose would love nothing more than to take some momentum to Hazeltine National for the Ryder Cup, and to do that, he needs to make it to Atlanta. A couple of low rounds are necessary.Short of that, Rose will use the time off to regroup and recharge. And hell have more time to stare at the gold medal, which wont provide the monetary rewards of a trip to the Tour Championship but should suffice for inspiration.Lance Alworth Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Wholesale Chargers Jerseys . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. http://www.cheapchargersjerseysauthentic.com/ . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Doug Flutie Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Wholesale Chargers Jerseys China . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans.New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruzs first practice of the summer went off without a hitch.Cruz participated in all the Giants drills during their first training camp practice of the summer Friday. This was the first practice Cruz completed from start to finish since August, when he originally felt a twinge in his calf.Cruz called it a huge accomplishment after missing all of last year with a calf injury that admittedly was the result of overcompensation from a serious knee injury the previous season.Im feeling well. Day 1 was pretty good to knock the rust off a little bit and run some routes and things like that, Cruz said. So it felt pretty good.Cruz participated in every drill during a practice that didnt include any one-on-one or team drills. He even fielded punts that fueled his competitive desire. After dropping one, he almost immediately jumped back to the front of the line to try again.There werent any limitations on Cruz like there were in the spring, when he spent most of his time working on a side field with trainers and barely squeezed in some individual drills during minicamp in June. There wont be any restrictions going forward either. Cruz has received full clearance from the Giants and their medical staff.Hes going to practice, coach Ben McAdoo said. Victor is in the flow of practice and like all our players, were going to monitor him.Cruz appeared fine running and cutting on the right knee and left calf that ruined most of the past two years. He felt close to 100 percent.Just about, Cruz said. I feel pretty good. Obviously the ttrue test is when we get some defense out there and we get to do something against them, which obviously comes [Friday].dddddddddddd But I feel pretty good. I feel confident on my routes. I hope it looked that way out there, but it definitely felt that way. Im happy about that.McAdoo didnt seem disappointed.He looked fine out here running routes, got some good individual work in, McAdoo said. He looked sharp on his assignments.Each day will be another test for Cruz. Saturday he will see how his legs hold up to back-to-back practices and during drills against defenders. He hasnt done either since early in training camp last year. Then hell see how he handles full pads on Tuesday.Cruz has to prove to himself and the team that he can still play at a high level. The Giants have been cautiously optimistic this offseason about the prospects, saying anything they get from the Pro Bowl receiver is a bonus after he has missed 26 straight games.Cruz is still a work in progress after such a long layoff.The speed is just about there, he said. The cutting ... just need to get more and more work on that.Cruz has seen, read and heard the doubters. Some of it might have merit. Even in his mind, there is something to prove.Just that I can do the things I once did, he said. Not just once, but be consistent, understand what Im seeing, make the sharp cuts out of my break, have that quickness that I once had and prove it out here on the field.Cheap JerseysChina NFL JerseysCheap NBA Jerseys[/e consistent, understand what Im seerseysWholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '