Olympic Games winning hero Justin Rose is reluctant to take his Rio gold medal to the Ryder Cup later this month at Hazeltine.
Rose continues to win the hearts of sports fans around the world proudly showing off the spoils of his Brazil triumph. The Englishman had it with him this week in Indianapolis where the locals are more used to the sight of a chequered flag.
Rose produced his gold medal at the Pro-Am dinner ahead of teeing-up in the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick on the northern outskirts of the city that annually boasts the biggest single sporting day attendance with the running of the Indianapolis 500.
But Rose reckons it’s best he leaves his gold medal back home in the Bahamas.
He said: “I don’t think the gold medal has a place at the Ryder Cup and certainly not within that team environment.
A golden moment in the history of golf – Justin Rose crowned Olympic champion but then the Englishman is reluctant to take his gold medal to the Ryder Cup.
“So I don’t see the gold medal as an inspirational tool as the Ryder Cup is bigger than any one individual.
“But then if we had all three, the gold, silver and the bronze, then you’re talking differently so we’ve got two of the three with Henrik (Stenson) capturing the silver medal.”
However a month after winning the golfing gold medal Rose continues to be blown away by the reaction to those seeing up-close the spoils of his Olympic triumph.
He said: “In golf, winning a Major Championship is like the Holy Grail but knowing a gold medal means to the wider sports fan has made me realise how bigger an achievement it was given what a gold medal means in any sport.
“And the reaction to me winning the gold medal has been easily five-times bigger then when I won the U.S. Open as it’s just reached a wider audience and that’s what has been staggering.”
However, of more immediate concern to Rose is his flagging fitness.
Rose looks set to end his PGA season later today (SUN) in Indianapolis given he will not qualify as being among the top-30 for those progressing to next fortnight’s season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
And with doubts over Henrik Stenson’s troublesome left knee, it’s the last news European Team leader Darren Clarke needs with 19 days to the start of Ryder Cup competition.
Rose said: “My fitness is not where I would want it to be so I do need to be careful going forward and at this stage I would hate to right the year off as it’s been a great year winning the gold medal, but it’s also been a tough year injury-wise.
“I have not been in physical pain so that’s why it’s easy to push yourself.
“But I haven’t really been at my best all year and I’ve not been 100% physically so not as much in the tank as I would hope, so I haven’t been at my best all year and from Doral in March I have been struggling.
“That’s why at this time of year you rely on mental strength rather than physical strength.
“But in winning the gold medal I got something out of my year and it’s important for me after the Ryder Cup to come out in the Fall and do a really good job in what’s left of my year.
“It means getting back to putting the time in I haven’t been spending on the range as right now I feel as though I’ve half-hearted with everything and being a part-timer.”
But then when it was put to Rose would be prepared, and if asked by Clarke, to play in all five sessions at Hazeltine and something Rose undertook in the past two Ryder Cups, there was no hesitation.
He said: “I am up for all five sessions if Darren asks me, for sure.
“That is what I am working towards and expecting from him, so I am trying to prepare myself for that task 100%.
“But then if the team is playing really well Darren has the options of resting a few guys.
“We do have a young team and we don’t know at this stage how they are going to react so we’ll see but there is plenty of experience in the team what with Rory, Lee, Martin, Sergio, Henrik and myself.
“And that is the beauty of the Ryder Cup compared to say the Presidents Cup, as you can hide a few of your guys early on in competition and rely on the guys who have been there before and know so much what it’s all about.”
Rose also believes Europe’s hope of winning an unprecedented fourth straight Ryder Cup is not diminished with a record-equalling six rookies in the team.
He said: “The Ryder Cup this year looks like it’s boiled down to the fact we have rookies and they don’t, well one at this stage with Brooks Koepka.
“The thing is with the rookies is that you can be intimidated or you can be inspired.
“I made my debut in 2008 and I was inspired and I ran with that even though we were on a losing team, so I came away with a positive experience and that then set me up for future Ryder Cup’s.
“The fact is the USA team has been an incredibly difficult team to make when you consider who is on the outside and still looking for a pick.
“It is probably one of the toughest USA teams in history to get on with guys who are inside the top-15 on the World Rankings and they’re not on the team.
“So the USA team is looking strong, incredibly strong and being the home event they are going to want it even more, and given that it’s swung Europe’s way the last three times the crowd is also going to want it more.
“So it’s going to be feisty one and Darren is going to have to lean on his more mature players.
“I know, as one of the more senior players, the pressure will be on myself and the likes of Rory, Martin and the other players in our team who’ve playing Ryder Cup before, to inspire the rookies”.
And Rose’s best advice to the six rookies: “Make sure you’ve got enough left in the tank after all your practice rounds for Friday and it’s in that process myself and the older members of the team can help the rookies the most.
“But once the gun goes you have to remember that we are good players, we all have won tournaments to get onto the team, so we know how to win and it’s just a matter of binding and working strong together and the Ryder Cup will be back home on European soil.”
