Justin Rose celebrates victory on the 12th during the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris. Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
At these golf games, the days of the monopoly of money and power, the Justin Rose anniversary, is a reminder of the twin axes on which the game can always feel worthy.
“It's about memories and connections, right? Rose says. “That was definitely for me in 2013.”
Rose won the US Open this year in Merion, becoming the first major winner in England in 17 years and the first to lift the American national title in 43 years.
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And when he remembers Philadelphia, a lot of memories come up. Of course, that brilliant iron from 229 yards on the 18th – “the best shot I've ever made because I had absolutely no wiggle room” – but also the small details that, in his opinion, helped that week.
< p>The Empire Strikes Back clip he watched over and over, where Yoda tells Luke Skywalker he's ready… a picture of the tunnel his wife Kate bought him and about which he told then-caddy Mark Fulcher, “This is where we're going to live this week”… but above all, there was the moment when he stood on the last lawn and gestured to the sky.
“I haven’t felt such a connection with my father since he died,” says Rose, referring to Ken's death from leukemia in 2002, when he was only 57 years old.
“It was Father's Day, and most importantly, the amazing kind of unexpected bonus to winning the Major was to do it on that day.
“I was not sure that I won when I sent the air a kiss to the sky, but it was more than “look, dad, I won.” Just, you know, feel those vibrations and feelings. Won, lost or tied. I felt like I had done my job that day, and all of a sudden this performance showed me that he could be proud.” .jpg” />Justin Rose in 2013 with the US Open trophy. Photo: Andrew Crowley/Telegraph Media Group
Truth be told, Ken has always been his boy's biggest fan. Having gone through those 21 straight misses as a teenager after turning pro, and having won four titles around the world by the time of his death, Justin secured his father's unconditional respect. However, as his mentor, Ken told Justin that he would have a rich fame, and this was his son's confession of his faith.
“Golf is really a sport that connects generations,” he says. “At its core, this is not about billions of dollars. Yes, we are all professionals, but deep down we are talking about a dream and those who helped us to achieve it.”
Rose arrives at LA Country Club on her way to a comeback, climbing over 50 positions in the world rankings this year to 25th. He flirted with competition in the first two majors of the season — 16th at the Masters and eighth at the USPGA last month — and has been impressively consistent since his win at Pebble Beach in February with sixth at the Players and 12th and ninth. in his last two starts.
“I'm 43 years old and there's a realism in that maybe not in every single major I compete at the very top of the leaderboard, but I definitely think I have a lot of horsepower and I'll have opportunities,” he says. . “I was close [three seconds, two other top fives], but I was hoping that Merion would give me that freedom to continue. I thought, “The next time I'm in a winning position, I won't have to try to stifle that opportunity.” I'll just let it happen.” But it's not that easy. Now I see that there are a lot of great players out there who haven't even won a single game just because something went wrong on Sunday. Masters in 2017 told me a lot.”
Rose lost in the playoffs to Sergio Garcia after showing up for the team at the start. “I didn’t do anything wrong and I still feel like I should have won,” he says. “I'm just glad I already have a major title in the locker as it will still gnaw at me, even now, all these years.
Justin Rose on the 18th at Merion 2013. Photo: AP
“Things didn’t go exactly the way I did in Augusta, but Henrik [Stenson] tells me that at the Olympics [when he won in 2016], I had a lot of things my way. That's how it works, and once you have it, you can let the good times outweigh the bad in your mind.”
By no means was Rose able to build on the breakthrough of 2013. In addition to the gold medal in Rio, he was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2018 and won the FedEx Cup, meaning he is one of the few to receive Orders of Merit on both sides of the Atlantic. There were also three more Ryder Cup appearances and two more wins, and although Padraig Harrington's snub two years earlier had hurt him deeply, he used the rejection to relaunch his career. September and Rome are high on his ambitions.
“I played five times and qualified correctly every time,” he says. “In 2014 and last time, I was overlooked, and I don’t quite understand why, given my record. So yes, this time I would like to wrest it from the hands of the captain [Luke Donald], but with only six machine guns, if I have to rely on a pick, I will do it, and it will be hard for me not to choose me. “.
Despite the merger of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, it is extremely unlikely that players like Garcia, Stenson, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter will qualify for the biennial competition. in the Italian capital.
“Perhaps now is the time to shed blood for a new team that will last the next decade or so,” says Rose. “It's funny how things work out sometimes. Things happen for reasons you don't currently expect. I'm just glad I feel relevant again.”
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