Robert Rock aims for the Masters this year and vows to continue his trailblazing golf
Englishman Robert Rock is flying high after his stellar victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and is hoping to improve his rankings to finally break into the top-50 in order to make way for the coveted Masters field this year.
Formerly a bar tender, Rock surged to stardom when he overtook the 14-major-winner, Tiger Woods in the final round of the event.
After his remarkable performance, he is now poised at the 58th position on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
He is now pitched against a sturdy field comprising of three of the top-four players in the world and is hoping to continue with his blistering form in the coming events.
Rock said, "I've got to do well in the next few weeks. I've the chance to play in a few big tournaments if I can keep up a decent run. I'm a great believer in momentum and there are tournaments I've not played before – the WGC Match Play, Doral and the Masters”.
With only one European Tour victory on his belt and, although he played brilliantly in the closing events in the last year, no one had the slightest idea that the 34-year-old actually had the capability to take over the grizzled Woods to lift the title.
Rock spoke high of Woods' playing etiquettes and dismissed the allegations that the former world number one is rude and arrogant on the course.
Defeating his mentor and hero, Rock is over whelmed with the newly gained celebrity status.
Rock opened up his bid in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic with a lopsided round of one-over, 73, settling for a joint 33rd.
He carded three birdies and dropped four shots in the 18-hole stretch but was hardly deterred by the early loss.
For the moment, he aims to post another strong finish to improve his rankings on the OWGR.
Currently, Rock is enjoying the hordes of spectators who flock for one glimpse of the Englishman.
He was brought back to earth when his Jaguar was caught amid a snow storm on M25, bringing home the realisation that nature does not differentiate between common men and champions.
He added, "I got stuck on the M25, so that brought me back down to earth pretty quick. In fact, sitting there in the car I realised that nothing much has changed for me. Whether I am the Abu Dhabi champion or not, the snow was certainly not making way for me”.
Rock has been part of the European Team since the year 2003, playing in the events as an affiliate member.
He had to wait for eight painstakingly long years to card his first European Tour victory in 2011 at the BMW Italian Open.
He finished for a joint seventh in the Open Championship just a year ago and is now probably heading for the exclusive group of high profile players on the English entourage.
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