TROON, SCOTLAND | The number 21 has loomed large in Justin Rose’s career. In ’98, it covered his run of missed cuts after finishing in a share of fourth place at the Open as a 17-year-old amateur. More recently, it has been about his 21 top-10 finishes in the major championships, with the most recent of them his share of sixth place in at the PGA Championship in May at Valhalla in Kentucky. And, as if all that were not enough, this week at Royal Troon will be his 21st Open Championship.
Bemused though he is by such coincidences, his mind is firmly on the future. As he explained when he turned down LIV millions from the Saudis: “My dreams of winning majors are stronger than the riches of LIV Golf.”
In practising at Royal Troon on the Friday before last week’s Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club, Rose, who will be 44 at the end of the month, was merely introducing what he did ahead of his U.S. Open triumph at Merion near Philadelphia in 2013.
“For me,” he said, “It’s about getting the feel for a venue, for the people as much as the course. I got lucky at Merion. A local caddie came up to me and said that the East Course consisted of six holes of drama, six of comedy and six of tragedy, in that order.”
The caddie’s words came back to Rose when, after starting out at the 11th on the Thursday, he stood 4-over for his opening 12 holes: “I was able to tell myself that the tragedy holes were done, and the comedy variety had still to come.”
Three dashing birdies played their part in the comedic stretch, and he handed in an acceptable 71.
Troon is neither the favourite nor the least favourite of Rose’s Open links, but in the course of his early practice round, he saw the tiny par-3 eighth hole, known as the Postage Stamp, as an old friend while revelling in the fact that the homeward half was much the tougher. It suits him.
“Especially,” he said, “if it’s going to play into the wind as it usually does.”
“The thing is that I see my sport as a calling. I’m lucky enough to have this talent, and I feel obliged to give it my best shot.”
Rose’s work ethic is beyond belief. After nine holes of pro-am golf at the Scottish Open, he was introduced to a party of Scottish amateurs before signing umpteen autographs and posing for pictures – all with a smile on his face and the rain smacking against his waterproofs. From there, he hurried to the practice ground where he worked for a good hour before ordering a bowl of soup and sitting down to talk to GGP about golf in his 40s.
“I’m still passionate about my golf, although I have to admit to being less passionate than I used to be,” he said. “The thing is that I see my sport as a calling. I’m lucky enough to have this talent, and I feel obliged to give it my best shot.
“It makes it all harder, but I genuinely believe I can get better.”
After a so-so start to the ’24 season, Rose had to play in Open qualifying at Burnham and Berrow, the links where, as a 14-year-old, he won the prestigious Carris Trophy as the English Boys Under 18 champion. He described it as the best pre-Open experience he could have had: “What it did was to give me a new sense of gratitude and appreciation about being lucky enough to play in the Open.”
Rose, a former world No. 1 in 2018-19 who has won 19 times combined on the PGA and European tours, stands 67th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He will begin Round 1 of the Open at 7:41 a.m. local time (2:41 a.m. EDT) with 2018 Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy and Australian amateur Jasper Stubbs, the reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur winner.
In terms of what is and isn’t taxing at his age, Rose finds nothing more demanding than staying fit enough to keep up with the youngsters.
“They’re all hitting the ball for miles, and I’ve got to do the same. You could say that it’s a last-ditch effort on my part.
“I need to earn the right to play well, and that means doing all the boring things, like lifting dead weights.” He paused for a moment before changing his mind. “Actually, it’s more nerve-racking than boring, because you’re walking a tight rope between pushing yourself to the right degree and not overdoing things to the point where you’re going to pick up an injury.”
When it comes to someone with as long of a career as Rose’s, there always will be comments which stick in a writer’s mind. In my case, I remember watching the then-28-year-old Rose practising his chipping from a patch of nasty greenside rough.
In answer to my question about why he would do such a thing, his reply went like this: “The more you practise the impossible, the more it becomes possible.”
He remembered it well enough, only he was quick to issue a warning to those who might want to follow suit. “You can only do it if your basics are sound. Otherwise, it’s going to do you more harm than good.”
Rose’s son, Leo, is 15 now, but when he was still at primary school, he asked his dad, “Why can’t you be a painter or a gardener, something like all the other kids’ dads in my class?”
Rose had forgotten that classic, but he had a similar tale up his sleeve. At a time when his marriage to Kate (née Phillips), an international gymnast, was fast approaching, his wife-to-be’s grandmother was worried that he was spending too much of his time playing golf. “This golf,” she told him, “is all very well, but you’ll need to start looking for a proper job.”
Entering this week’s Open, Rose has pocketed an estimated $67 million in on-course earnings, plus untold millions in endorsements. Proper job, indeed.