Open Countdown - Justin Rose

BET you can't name the winner of The Open at Birkdale in 1998. But try casting your mind back to the 18th hole and the image of a 17-year-old, up to his ankles in rough, playing a shot that landed on the green, bounced a couple of times and disappeared into the hole.

His name? Justin Rose, of course. For the record, Mark O'Meara was the man who won the Claret Jug. But Rose was the boy who stole everybody's heart, and not just because of that shot. He had stubbornly remained in contention for all four days, refusing to buckle under what must have been unbelievable pressure. A star was surely born.

Soon afterwards, he announced that he was turning professional. A few people wondered if it wasn't too soon but surely somebody who had finished fourth in The Open would be fine.

Of course, as we all know now, he wasn't fine. Anything but. There was huge interest in him, with the press turning up en masse for his first few events, but as he missed one cut after another, the interest soon waned. Rose would go on to miss 21 successive cuts. Just think about that – 21 weeks when he didn't earn a penny in prize money, 21 weeks when even he began to question whether he really belonged out there on the European Tour, 21 weeks away from family and friends, wondering whether he would ever make the cut.

And then, finally, he did. There was little fanfare because the British media had by now moved on. Justin who?

But those of us who had watched him at Birkdale knew that he possessed a special talent. It was a talent that endured throughout those miserable weeks and months. Many teenagers would have started throwing tantrums. Not Rose. His father, ken, was a huge influence on his life. Perhaps too much of an influence.

Justin got the message and, slowly but surely, Dad was gently nudged into the background. Rose began to realise he had to make it on his own.

For week after week of Justin's professional career Ken would either caddy for Justin or walk outside the ropes keeping his son's statistics. He was a rock for his son.

They would share a room, eat meals together, spend entire days in each other's company and Ken's presence was a subject for criticism from others who wanted Justin to learn to do things on his own. Not for the first time Ken Rose was right, his critics were wrong.

The time when Justin needed Ken most came when the boy emerged from the scorer's tent each Friday evening, having failed to qualify for the last two rounds – again – and having to confront the journalists who could not understand why this promising young man was having such a wretched run. It was the same questions week after week. "What's wrong, Justin?" What are you going to do about it, Justin?". "When will it all end, Justin?"

One day, seeing what torture this was for Justin, Ken said: "Jus, you know I can get you out of this. I can get you out of the back door of the tent after you have signed your card so you don't have to face the journalists. Monty [Colin Montgomerie] would do that. So would many other players. I can fix it for you."

"Thanks Dad but no," Justin replied. "I've got to go through this. It's part of becoming what I want to become, a champion. I don't like it particularly but I'll do it. I'm learning from it."

His first victory was a long time coming. He had to wait until the 2002 Dunhill Championship in South Africa, in which he scorched home with rounds of 71, 66, 66, 65. A few months later, along came his second title, the British Masters, in which he pipped his great mate Ian Poulter by a shot.

It was in that same year that Rose lost his father to cancer and it affected him deeply.

Perhaps more deeply than even he knew. Everybody had expected his success in 2002 would open the floodgates, but Rose had to wait until the 2007 season, when he won the Mastercard Masters and Volvo Masters to finish the season as Number One in Europe.

But it is in America where he has achieved his greatest successes. In 2010 he won the AT&T and The Memorial, in 2011 the BMW championship, last year the WGC Cadillac championship and now, of course, he is the US Open champion, the first Englishman to do so since Tony Jacklin back in 1970. And his first thoughts were for his late father. “I did it for him, we did it together,” he said.

He is coached by Sean Foley, the man who is attempting to restore Tiger Woods to the golfer he once was and longs to be again. While Woods may remain a work in progress, despite his four wins this year, Rose is very much the finished article. His swing is to die for.

It helps that he has a happy home life. Rose, now 32, is married to kate and they have two young children, Leo and Charlotte. He is settled in Florida and is playing the best golf of his life.

What you may not remember is that when The Open was last played Muirfield, he finished just five shots behind the winner, Ernie Els.

And there is something else you should consider about Justin Rose if you  are looking for somebody to back – he is a golfer who tends to put together runs of four, five or six tournaments in which he plays well. He maintained his form the week after the US Open and then decided to take a short break. It means that when he arrives at Muirfield, he will feel fresh and he will know that he is now good enough to win major tournaments.

It is hard to believe that his tied fourth at Birkdale remains his best finish at The Open, and this would be a good time to improve on that record. Rose is a good bet for Muirfield, especially if you are looking for an each-way flutter.

Image Credit: www.tourprogolfclubs.com

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Derek Clements is a sports journalist with a particular passion for golf with over 12 years of experience covering golf and other sports including Chief Sub-Editor on the sports desk of The Sunday Times. To contact Derek email direct via [email protected]

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