There was a moment when it hit Graham DeLaet where he is and what it is, precisely, he is competing for here. Earlier in the week, he and teammate David Hearn were visiting Canada House, where the women's rugby sevens bronze medalists were being honoured for their achievement.
Both DeLaet and Hearn were like star-struck kids. The women had their medals hanging around their neck and both golfers had the opportunity to see them up close. Not until you hold an Olympic medal in the palm of your hand can you appreciate how heavy it is, can you understand how beautiful and intricate and, ultimately, how powerful the engraving is. It can be a transcendent moment for anyone, whether it's a five-year-old school girl or a golfer making millions on the PGA Tour.
"That's when it kind of all became real for me," DeLaet recalled after his second round on Friday. "It made me think, man, it would be fun to take home some hardware."
After two rounds, DeLaet has put himself in a position to do just that. He followed up his first-round 66 with an even-par 71. His two-day total of 137 puts him in a tie for sixth, five shots back of the lead. Hearn, meantime, shot a one-under 70, after opening with a 73. He's tied for 37th.
His medal shot is certainly more remote but he feels he's only now getting comfortable with the course.
"It would take something pretty special but I think I can do it," Hearn said after his round.
Australian Marcus Fraser holds the two-day lead at minus 10. He is one of two relatively unknown Aussies who drew into the tournament after the country's two top players, Adam Scott and Jason Day, decided they wanted no part of Rio and its Zika threat. British Open champion Henrik Stenson sits just two shots back of the lead and would have to be considered the strongest gold-medal threat here.
What was evident talking to both DeLaet and Hearn was just how much they have enjoyed the Olympic experience to this point. They both exist in the gilded-edged bubble of the PGA Tour. They play for hundreds of thousands of dollars every week. Their lives don't turn on a four-year Olympic axis. They don't grind for years for one shot at glory. When professional golfers fail one week, they tee it up again a few days later.
"That's what I've taken out of this more than anything is just how much this means to all the other athletes here," DeLaet said. "We're lucky we get to do what we do for a living week in and week out and we sometimes take it for granted. These people have been working so hard for four years to try and be here. That's why it means so much to them."
DeLaet played in a threesome with local fan favourite Adilson Da Silva. At virtually every hole Da Silva was cheered on by Brazilian fans, who often asked him to pose for a selfie. Often he did – something that would be unheard of on the PGA Tour. It was wonderful to see the 44-year-old golfer giving his fans something to cheer about. He birdied six holes on the day, including two of the three final three where the crowds were the largest. The place went nuts. DeLaet and his caddie, former NHL hockey player Ray Whitney, revelled in the atmosphere.
"I really found myself cheering for him every time he made birdie," he said. "It was just awesome to hear the Brazilian fans."
Neither DeLaet nor Hearn were awake to see Penny Oleksiak's stunning gold-medal performance Thursday evening but they certainly heard about it when they got up. They both said that any Canadian medal sends a riotous buzz through the athletes' village in which they are staying. They both believe they can feed off the energy those performances have created among the Canadian team.
"They post the medal wins up in the athletes' hangout in the village," Hearn said. "I think when that happens it creates all these good feelings. Confidence begins to build in everyone. Hopefully it will create a snowball effect among the rest of us."
Gary Mason