Will the English Rose Bring Home a Title?
Justin Rose, ranked 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking, enters the British Open as one of the tournament favourites. Not only because he has been raking in the wins over the past few weeks, but primarily because England is long overdue the chance to earn their British Open title back, as an English player hasn’t won one since 1996.
The last time Rose was at a British Open, he was forced watch on the sidelines on the practice range, hoping that a player would drop out and give him the chance to play. Rose made his debut at the Open as an amateur in 1998 where he finished fourth.
As a 17 year-old amateur golfer, Rose first became known in 1998 after his fourth place tie at Royal Birkdale. And with his two recent wins, which guaranteed Rose his ninth appearance at the Open, English golf fans began to pin their hopes on regaining their title back firmly on his shoulders.
“You look at the world rankings, you look at the opportunity for us, it’s probably better than it’s been, dare I say numbers-wise, ever,” Rose said.
Following Rose’s double victories, and with golfers Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Graeme McDowell, there are now eight British or Irish players in the World’s Top 20 compared to only six American golfers in the ranking. Another sign that the Claret Jug is soon to be back in the hands of a British golfer. Well, maybe, depending on how well the American sides plays, which currently holds the strength of Tiger Woods and Tom Watson, to name a few.
“Just using that basis, I think one of us will be in contention Sunday afternoon,” Rose said referring to his compatriots Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.
However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing in Rose’s career as he wasn’t initially able to rise to the expectations that the public had placed on him, and for a few years he seemed to be on a solid losing streak. As he had been playing inconsistently, it meant that he missed the 2004 and 2006 Opens, which forced many to believe that he wasn’t as talented a player as it was reported. Also, some believed that maybe the pressure of trying to keep up with other English players, as in 2004 to 2005, resulted in Rose slipping in the rankings all the way out of the Top 100 players.
“In the past I've worried about those sorts of questions. I've worried about where I fit in, how I stack up, what people think, where do they rate me, do they or don't they. And I've got to tell you I'm less worried about that now. It's great to be No. 2 in the FedEx and probably climbing back to No. 20 in the World Rankings,” said Rose.
However, in the 2010 season, Rose has finally risen to the top of his game. Even though he wasn’t able to qualify for the recent US Open at Pebble Beach, he did win two of his last three events, the Memorial and AT&T National, as well as finish in second place at the Travelers Championship.
"I've always said that my best chance of winning was probably Augusta. Maybe the Open is the most difficult one for me – because, being in the States for 15 years, I got away from playing links golf. I had to relearn how to hit the ball high,” said Rose who will tee-off with Tiger Woods in the opening rounds of the Open.
If this Rose is able to bloom in time, then it may mean that Britain will finally be able to claim this Open as their own.
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