Forteen years ago, then amateur Justin Rose set the golf world alight by chipping-in from just to secure fourth place in the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
He tees-up in this week’s $7m WGC – HSBC Champions event ranked No. 5 in the world and with career earnings in Europe alone of Euro 10,301, 919.
Rose has won four times on the European Tour and six times on the PGA Tour along with finishing a brilliant runner-up in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Justin Rose, and tucked in just to the right of defending WGC – HSBC Champions event defending champ Martin Kaymer,says he’s benefitting as he’s become a better CEO of his business. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
He has now played in two Ryder Cup’s including the most recent ‘Miracle at Medinah’ where he secured three of five points for Europe including the important Sunday Singles scalp of Phil Mickelson.
When Rose visited the plush Mission Hills Media Centre today he was asked to pinpoint the turning point he believed that was pivotal in his now 14-year pro career.
And it was not a result or a factor within the ropes but with Rose singling out the strenght of his team working behind the scenes and outside the ropes.
“I haven’t seen one particular moment as the turning point but then I’ve definitely seen it as I work pretty hard on my process and I work very hard with the team of people that I have in place,” he said.
“That’s what I feel that I have behind me now is a really good team of people that all work together.
“So in a sense, I’ve become a better CEO of my business; I have good people around me and it’s taken a long time for me to get that in place.
“Also my mental side has gotten a lot better in the last year or two, begun to understand what makes me tick and how to play my best golf under pressure. That’s been a big step forward.”
Rose also singled out coach, Sean Foley, who also works with 14-time Major winning Tiger Woods as a key.
“My work with Sean continues to get better; that’s really just bedded in,” added Rose.
“I trust my game now day‑in, day‑out. I don’t feel like when I get into pressure situations that I hope my game is going to be there; I know it’s going to be there for me.
“And the obvious turnaround in the recent few weeks has been the putting. I’m making way more putts than I have done all year. Really I’ve had great year based upon ball‑striking. I relied on my ball‑striking heavily through the middle part of the year.
“I would love to turn the clock back three or four months, go back to about the U.S. Open time and putt then how I’m putting now; I could well be sitting here with even bigger tournaments under my belt, and that’s what excites me about next year.
“I feel like even though this has been great year, there’s so much more for me to improve upon.”
And if there is one putt Rose delights in holing more than most it was the putt he had on the final green at the East Lake Golf Club to grab second place on his own behind American Brandt Snedeker in the Tour Championship.
“I knew that that putt was a big putt,” Rose recalled.
“I didn’t have any idea the full consequence of it and what it amounted to at the time but it was a big putt for me personally. I didn’t want to finish with a bogey. I didn’t want to sort of limp into the clubhouse at that point in the tournament.
“Brandt had won at that point, but there was still a lot of pride on the line finishing second and not slipping into a tie for second; it just meant a lot to me. It was an incredibly tough putt.
“So I said to my caddie: ‘Come on, let’s make this putt’.
“So we set the intention; and then to pull through, was a big moment, and I think that sparked a little bit of confidence for sure and gave me good feelings about the week and made me come away from it feeling very positive and took that into The Ryder Cup.
“The Ryder Cup as a whole, I felt like I didn’t putt well until I had to. And again, really nice feeling that when I sort of stared down a putt, I knew I had to make it, and I made them.
“Again, Turkey, I can point to that, too. Again, 17th green, my match with Lee got really, really tight. Lee was sort of close to the hole with me on 17 and I had that to make that putt, and again, made it.
“It doesn’t always happen in golf but at least I’m sort of putting good strokes on it and giving myself a great chance in the moment when it really counts. I probably haven’t had a spell in my career where I’ve developed that level of confidence before.”
