Can Rose still bloom?
‘To step through my career and not have a jug at the end of it, I’ll always look back at it and go, yeah, that’s a shame.’
‘To step through my career and not have a jug at the end of it, I’ll always look back at it and go, yeah, that’s a shame.’
LONDON (AFP) — Justin Rose is confident time is still on his side as he bids to win a first British Open title, with this year’s edition taking place on the Royal Birkdale course where he made his name.
Back in 1998, as a 17-year-old amateur, Rose spectacularly holed a pitch shot on the last hole in the final round of the British Open at the northwest course to finish joint fourth.
He promptly turned professional only to experience 21 consecutive missed cuts.
But 28 years on, Rose returns for his third appearance at Birkdale with a US Open title, an Olympic gold medal and 25 other professional wins to his credit.
And he is adamant the clock remains in his favor as he bids to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1992 to win the British Open and lift the Claret Jug trophy.
“The Open Championship for a British player is the pinnacle of the game for sure,” Rose told reporters on Tuesday, two days before the start of the tournament.
“It’s the one that I would love to win the most, for sure,” added the 45-year-old.
“To step through my career and not have a jug at the end of it, I’ll always look back at it and go, ‘yeah, that’s a shame.’”
“But I think the Open Championship offers you the longest runway of an opportunity to win one so there’s plenty of time left.”
Rose’s lone major success to date came at the 2013 US Open at Merion.
Asked if his career had turned out as he hoped, Rose replied: “It’s almost an impossible answer...I’ve had a very good career and 28 years later I’m playing in the Open Championship. If I think about it is still an amazing achievement, just to have the will to keep wanting to be here.
“I’m very happy with where I’m at. Could I have done more? Could I have won more of what I’ve already won? Yes. Would I love to be a multiple major champion? Yes. Do I feel I could have pushed towards close to a grand slam? Yes.”
Rose, however, added: “But ultimately, if I look at it, I got to world number one, I’m a major champion, Olympic gold medalist, FedEx Cup winner — I’ve kind of achieved pretty much what there is to achieve in the game, albeit once only.”
