Golf Owes Justin And Kate Rose a Debt of Gratitude

Women's golf in this country has a great deal for which to thank Justin and Kate Rose.

The pandemic brought sport to a standstill and although many areas were quick to recover it was a very different story for the women who were trying to make a living as tournament professionals in Europe. 

And it could have been terminal were it not for the efforts of former US Open champion Justin Rose and his wife Kate. 

While others were wringing their hands, Justin and Kate decided to bite the bullet. And so The Rose Series was born.

Justin said: "The Rose Ladies Series was created in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The men’s tours had started again, and the male professionals had the chance to play and compete again, but the ladies didn’t have the same opportunities, We pledged to put our own money into a series of events to give the ladies an opportunity to keep playing. During that first year we staged eight one-day tournaments, each with prize funds of £5,000.

"It was hugely successful, so we felt it was a natural and necessary progression to increase our support of the professional ladies game with a tournament on the LET Access Series. The Rose Ladies Open was our next step on this journey."

Rose insists the couple’s original motivation was simply to give the female players the chance to play competitively during the pandemic and they have been taken by surprise by how successful the series has been. 

He said: "The fact that I was able to play a full schedule again after only a month out, but this wasn’t the same experience for the ladies seemed unfair. We didn’t really see it developing at all at the start, it was simply seen as a ‘stop gap’, something to help the ladies' game and try to level things up at the time. From there, it was clear there was a real disparity between the men’s and women’s tours and the Series went some way to bridging this gap.

"Following on from that, we created the Rose Ladies Open to give the female professionals a tournament in the UK, so another opportunity to play competitively; opportunities to be seen and receive the exposure they deserve. The Rose Ladies Open has enabled us to provide a genuine pathway to the Ladies European Tour - our 2023 Champion Chiara Tamburlini is testament to this - she has already made a fantastic start to her LET season with a win at the 2024 Joburg Ladies Open.

“The fact that the RLS has developed into an annual Series and we have added the tournament on the Access Series Tour too, has meant that we have been able to continue our work towards change and the drive for equality within professional golf."

This year the Rose Ladies Open will be staged at Brocket Hall from September 6-8. It was an easy choice. Justin said: "Brocket Hall is a fantastic venue, over the past two years we have grown, developed and improved the tournament together. The course is in great condition and will be a fantastic test for the players once again this year."

(The Melbourne Course at Brocket Hall)

You may think that Kate Rose is simply a figurehead for the Rose Series. You would be wrong.

She said: "I’m heavily involved, we are a small team so we all work together to deliver the Series and the tournament, we collaborate on the overall strategy, the tournament detail, key changes, developments and ways in which we can make a positive impact for all stakeholders.

"We take a very cooperative approach, working closely with the venues, alongside the players and the LETAS who are fantastic at giving constructive feedback and suggestions which we take on board and use to develop the Series and tournament each year.

"Both Justin and I come along to different events in the Series and to Brocket Hall. We enjoy meeting the players, having a chance to speak to them and get feedback. Justin hosts a junior clinic too at the tournament and we love being there for the finish to congratulate the champion and present them with the trophy."

There is a massive disparity in the prize money on offer in men’s and women’s sport, and golf is no exception but Justin believes things are starting to change.

He said: "There is a lot of sponsorship concentrated within men’s sport in general, but more recently female sport has seen a significant growth in investment and support from companies recognising the benefits, value and opportunities associated with female sport. The growth in women’s football is testament to this.

"In terms of golf, we feel it is key for us to try to work with those companies that are already supporting men’s golf, those who obviously recognise the benefits and impact that their investment has within the men’s game, so should recognise that this is the same for the women’s game.

"Together with investment from these companies, alongside the work we are doing to create these opportunities and the chance for people to see, experience and engage with the sport in the UK, we hope to be able to raise the profile of women’s golf, to give it the recognition and achieve the investment it deserves.

"We are working towards changing these perceptions, women’s golf needs to be more prominent, so through us giving players the additional competitive playing opportunities, the larger prize funds and media coverage via TV and social channels, we are going someway to changing these. Through providing more exposure for the women’s game to business, the public and the next generation of female golfers, we are creating awareness and the chance for everyone to engage more with the female golf game. One of the main reasons we offer free tickets to watch the Rose Ladies Open is because we want to encourage as many people to come to the tournament and be a part of it, to watch, support and interact with the players."

Although Justin and Kate have ploughed plenty of their money into the series, they have been able to attract sponsors.

Justin said: "We have been fortunate to have the support of key partners since the outset for the Rose Ladies Series and the Rose Ladies Open, all of these partners were keen to support women’s golf and had the same motivation and objectives as us. More generally, as everyone knows, women’s sport has seen a significantly lower level of investment and sponsorship than men’s sport over the years - the initial catalyst for the Series was evidence of this.

"However, as we said, this is changing and women’s sport is seeing the larger growth in this area currently. We see this as an opportunity right now, a chance for sponsors to get on board. It needs key blue-chip companies to step up and support women’s golf to help continue this growth and maintain this upward trajectory. This will enable female golfers to enjoy the same opportunities as male golfers in terms of playing opportunities, prize funds, schedules, media coverage and the exposure to allow the next generation to have more role models to follow and support.

"We have had the support of some fantastic partners for the Rose Ladies Series from the outset, with several continuing this into the Rose Ladies Open tournament too. The majority of these sponsors have been with us since the start of the Series in 2020, so we have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to partner with likeminded companies and individuals to date.

"With our future plans for the growth of the Series and the Rose Ladies Open tournament, we are now currently looking for a key partner to work with us and not only support female golf, but join with us in a genuine partnership. We want to work with a sponsor that shares our beliefs and ambition for the female game, a partner that wants to work in partnership with Justin and I on our vision, aims and objectives to achieve the impact that we want to have in the sport together - equality ultimately.

“We would like to thank the R&A - the work they do for the female game is fantastic and they have been with us as a key partner from the start. We would also like to thank OB, who have been with us from the start and share our commitment to the female game, Sky Sports, who have been a key partner in providing exposure and coverage for the Series and the tournament, PING, who have joined us this year and are already fantastic supporters of the female game, and EuroSelect, who have also joined us this year."

Justin and Kate have pledged to continue the series for as long as they believe there is a demand for it. It works well because it gives players a chance to compete in a condensed series at the start of the season, gives them an opportunity to compete on home soil and play courses they would not normally see. On top of that, they are playing for the largest prize fund available for a one-day event.

And is there anybody we should be keeping an eye on? Have Justin and Kate identified any champions of the future?

Justin said: "There are a number of players on the Access Series who are already having a great season, so we are keen to see how they get on in September. One player in the field we will be looking out for is Annabel Peaford - our current Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Champion. We gave her an invite to play in a couple of the Rose Ladies Series events earlier this year, she finished T18 at Sunningdale. We have given her an invite as our 2023 champion to the RLO too, so it will be interesting to see how she gets on at Brocket Hall at just 15."

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