Justin Rose new golf “It Boy”?
Justin Rose is gaining in the race to becoming America’s new golf ‘It Boy’. This comes as no surprise, as Rose has had two victories in the past five weeks, additional to his two US victories from fames played when Tiger Woods was on the field. Very impressive even if Woods hasn’t been playing to the high standards of his glory days of late.
In addition to winning the AT&T National’s $6.2 million dollar purse, he was also awarded a spot in the British Open. Rose, an Englishman, had not been planning on attending the famous Open but decided he should “make a pit stop there on the way home” and try his luck on the St Andrews course.
Rose will enter the tournament ahead of fellow Englishman Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and quite possibly ahead of Rory Mcllroy, as well as US Open Champion Graeme McDowell. He is not a clear-cut favourite for the Open, and no one on the PGA Tour has won more than two events a year.
According to the Fed-Ex Cup points, Rose is in second place, Ernie Els takes first and Phil Mickelson is in third. Else also has two wins this year, Mickelson only one, and Rose ranks third on the PGA money list and 16th in the world rankings.
The questions remains, is Justin Rose golf’s new 'It' player, or is he just on a hot streak? Rose’s story is one of hard work, heartache, missed chances, and fulfilled dreams.
Rose tied for fourth place at the British Open in 1998 where he debuted as a skinny 17-year-old amateur. He turned professional shortly after but disappeared from the golf scene when he didn’t make it through the European Tour Q-School until 2000.
In 2002 he reappeared to play a great year of golf. He won the Dunhill Championship, followed by two more victories at the Nashua Masters in South Africa, the Crowns Tournament in Japan, and then finally the Victor Chandler British Masters.
Rose had no problem establishing himself overseas, but on American soil he struggled to make a name for himself. Rose went seven-and-a-half seasons without a win in the US. In 2006 he succeeded in winning the Volvo Master on the European Tour and won the US Memorial this year. Suddenly Rose wasn’t a player, he was a contender.
“It’s been a long, hard road, really. But I think I have learned more in the tough times,” Rose admitted of his career. Rose’ darkest days were when he was trying to make cuts and missed 21 in a row back in 1999.
“It felt like every time I had a chance to make a cut, cameras would appear out of the trees and suddenly I would feel the heat,” he said of that time in his life. “Playing under that pressure to make cuts when you're not playing well, that was hard.” Rose didn’t make one until 1999 at the Compaq European Open at Slaley Hall.
He has seen his share of hard times but believes overall his experience has helped him to overcome some of the frustrations of losing. Six weeks ago Rose blew his six-shot lead at the Travellers Championship in Connecticut.
But Rose thinks “It’s not really that big of a deal if I do put it in complete perspective.” After winning at Aronimink, Rose feels much better about himself and his game:
“I feel like I'm two or three different people. You know, the young kid, and then the journeyman, and then working my way back to being the player I wanted to be in the first place.”
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