Justin Rose

Justin Rose
Justin Peter Rose, (born 30 July 1980) is an English professional golfer. Rose first achieved significant media attention when he finished fourth place at the 1998 Open Championship as an amateur. He turned pro the next day but struggled during his first couple of years as a professional, making few cuts. In the early 2000s, however, he had success, winning his first European Tour event in 2002 and ultimately leading the tour's Order of Merit in 2007. In the ensuing years, Rose focused primarily on the United States, winning a number of notable tournaments, culminating with a victory at the 2013 U.S. Open. Rose has continued with success since then, earning a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing runner-up at the 2017 Masters, and reaching number one in the world for the first time in 2018.
Early life
Rose was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to English parents, Annie, and Ken (who died of cancer in 2003). The family moved to England when Rose was five, and he started to play golf at Tylney Park Golf Club. He then moved on to Southwood Golf Club, Hartley Wintney Golf Club, and finally North Hants Golf Club. All of these clubs were near his then home in Hook, Hampshire.
Rose broke 70 for the first time at the age of 11 and was a plus three handicap by 14.
Amateur career
Rose played in the Walker Cup in 1997 as a 17-year-old. Later in the year, Rose burst to worldwide prominence at the 1998 Open Championship held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. He holed a dramatic shot from the rough from about 50 yards for birdie on the 18th hole to finish in a tie for fourth. He won the silver medal for the low amateur.
Professional career
The day after his success at the 1998 Open Championship, Rose turned professional. Rose struggled badly in his early career. He missed the cut in his first 21 consecutive events, including the European Tour qualifying school in 1998. He earned his first European Tour card when he finished 4th at the qualifying school in 1999. The following season he failed to retain his card and had to revisit the qualifying school, where he finished 9th.
Despite his early career struggles, Rose's career soon began to take off and he became established on the European Tour. In 2001, he opened the season with consecutive second-place finishes in South Africa. He went on to finish the year in top-40 on the Order of Merit. He won his first professional event, the Dunhill Championship in South Africa, in 2002, and followed this up with three further victories in that year. They included another win in South Africa at the Nashua Masters, a win on the Japan Golf Tour at The Crowns Tournament, and then he won his second European Tour title at the Victor Chandler British Masters, edging out Ian Poulter in the final round.
In 2003, Rose reached number 33 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He earned enough money to claim his PGA Tour card as a non-member for 2004 after finishing with more money than the 125th ranked player on the money list. In 2004, he played mostly in America on the PGA Tour while also maintaining his membership on the European Tour. He did not have a great year and slipped out of the top 50 in the world rankings; however, he kept his tour card after earning in excess of a million dollars.
His ranking continued to fall in early 2005, and in March he announced that he was quitting the European Tour and concentrating on playing on the PGA Tour. This had no apparent effect on his poor form, and by the middle of the year, he had fallen out of the World's top 100. In August of that year, he made an about-face by announcing his intention to return to the European Tour. Later the same week he had his best result of the year, leading the Buick Championship after three rounds before slipping to a third-place finish. A couple of further good results followed late in the 2005 season, and he maintained his status on the PGA Tour after all.
In September 2006 at the Canadian Open, Rose led a PGA Tour tournament going into the final round for the first time. But he slipped up with a final round 74 which moved him down the field. He went on to finish 2nd at the Valero Texas Open and finished 47th on the money list with US$1.629 million in prize money. In November 2006 he won the Australian Masters, to claim his first title for four years. His renewed consistency, including a top 5 finish at the 2007 Masters which had seen him surpass his previous best world ranking, by reaching number 26 on 8 April 2007.
Rose lost in a playoff at the 2007 BMW PGA Championship but moved into the top twenty of the World Rankings for the first time, and by October had reached a new career high of 12 and became the top-ranked British golfer. Rose won the European Tour Order of Merit title for 2007 in a thrilling climax to the season at the Volvo Masters, which he won in a playoff on 4 November. His new world ranking of number 7 made him the top-ranked European golfer for the first time, and he subsequently moved up to sixth in the rankings. Since the end of 2009, Canadian golf instructor Sean Foley coaches Rose.
PGA Tour
In 2010, Rose had a third place at the Honda Classic, and then he broke through with a victory at the Memorial Tournament with a final round 66 to win by three strokes over Rickie Fowler. This was his first win on American soil. The next day, Rose had to try to qualify for the U.S. Open, along with runner-up Rickie Fowler. Neither qualified which raised questions about the qualifications of the U.S. Open. In his first tournament start since his win, at the Travelers Championship two weeks later, Rose led by three shots entering the final round but fell away to a tie for ninth. His good form continued the following week at the AT&T National where he led by four shots after entering the final day. He shot a final-round even par 70 to win the tournament.
In 2011, Rose continued with success. He entered the final round of the Transitions Championship with a one-stroke lead. However, he shot a three-over-par 74, which included four consecutive bogeys in the middle of the round, to finish five shots behind champion Gary Woodland. In September 2011, Rose played the BMW Championship, the third of the four FedEx Cup playoff events at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club. A flawless round of 63 on the opening day helped Rose to build a four stroke advantage going into the final round. Even though there was a late wobble with a bogey at the par-5 15th hole, Rose recovered and won by two strokes from John Senden.
In 2012, Rose played World Golf Championship event at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral Golf Resort & Spa. He entered the final round three strokes behind Bubba Watson. However, Rose played well in the final round and took a two-stroke lead entering the par-4 18th hole. He found the right rough with his tee shot and could not get up and down from the back of the green, making bogey. This left Watson requiring a birdie to tie Rose. Watson hit an iron shot from the right hand rough to within ten feet but could not make the birdie putt giving Rose the biggest win of his career. At the 2012 PGA Championship, Rose recorded his best ever performance in a major championship with a T-3. At the 2012 Ryder Cup, Rose played a major part in Team Europe's comeback against the United States. Rose holed putts of 10, 35, and 12 feet on the final three holes to defeat Phil Mickelson 1 up. On 12 October 2012, Rose won the 8-man Turkish Airlines World Golf Final defeating Lee Westwood by a single stroke in the final. He also beat Tiger Woods by a stroke in the semi-final after progressing from his group with a 100% record. On 25 March 2013, Rose finished second to Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and rose to a career-high of third in the world rankings.
In June 2013, Rose played the U.S. Open. Rose entered the final round two strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson at one-over-par. In the final round, Rose birdied the 6th and the 7th holes to tie the lead. Rose three-putted the 11th for bogey to fall back to one-over-par for the tournament. Around the same time, Mickelson holed his second shot from the fairway at the par-4 10th for eagle to regain the lead. However, Rose responded with birdies at the 12th and 13th holes to move back into the solo lead. Rose could not get up and down from a bunker on the 14th hole, however, and a bogey on the 16th hole dropped him to level for the day. However, Mickelson recorded bogeys at the 13th and 15th holes to remain one shot behind Rose. At the par-4 18th hole, Rose hit a 4-iron approach to the back of green to ensure par. He had the clubhouse lead. Mickelson, needing a birdie at the last to tie Rose, blocked his drive and could not reach the green in two. He hit his pitch shot near the pin but could not hole it. Rose won the tournament by two over Mickelson and Jason Day.
In June 2014, Rose won the Quicken Loans National defeating Shawn Stefani on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Two weeks later, Rose won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. At the 2014 Ryder Cup, Rose emerged as the leading points-getter, amassing four points in a 3-0-2 performance, as Europe won. At the 2015 Masters Tournament, Rose finished in a tie for second with Phil Mickelson behind winner Jordan Spieth. Two weeks later he won his seventh PGA Tour tournament at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In October, he won the UBS Hong Kong Open on the European Tour defeating Lucas Bjerregaard by one stroke.Rose earned rights to represent the United Kingdom at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. On the opening day, he became the first ever player to make a hole-in-one in Olympic play after recording it on the 189-yard par-3 4th hole of Gil Hanse's new Olympic Course in Barra da Tijuca using a 7-iron. Described as having an inspiring effect on the rest of the Great Britain team, Rose later gave the golf ball from that hole-in-one to gymnast Nile Wilson, who would go on to win a bronze medal in the horizontal bar. Rose went to the 18th hole on Sunday tied at −15 with playing partner Henrik Stenson of Sweden. Rose then produced a backspin pitch that left him with a short birdie putt which he converted while Stenson underhit his approach and eventually three-putted for bogey. Rose won the gold medal. Shortly thereafter, Rose brought his Olympic gold medal to The Barclays at Bethpage Black and wore it around his neck, on the suggestion of playing partner Phil Mickelson's caddy Jim "Bones" McKay and to cheers from the gallery, during his final putt.
In April 2017, Rose shot opening rounds of 71-72 at the Masters to enter the weekend as one of only a handful of players under par. In the third round, he fired a five-under round of 67 to co-lead through 54 holes with Sergio García. His round consisted of seven birdies, which resulted in a 31 on the back nine to move into contention for his second major championship. Rose ultimately lost to García in a sudden-death playoff. In October, Rose played the WGC-HSBC Champions. He was tied for fourth place, eight strokes behind leader Dustin Johnson after the third round. However, in the final round Rose shot a 67 to Johnson's 77 to win by two strokes. Late in the year, Rose won the Turkish Airlines Open, a Rolex Series event, on the European Tour and the Indonesian Masters, an Asian Tour event. In December 2017, it was announced that Rose would be the host of the 2018 British Masters. He opted to take the event to Walton Heath Golf Club.
In May 2018, Rose won the Fort Worth Invitational on the PGA Tour. Two months later, in July, Rose tied for second with a score of six-under-par at the 2018 Open Championship. His cumulative score of twelve-under-par across all four 2018 major championships was the best amongst everyone who made the cut in all four tournaments. In September 2018, placed high in two FedEx Cup Playoffs events, finishing second at the Dell Technologies Championship and losing a playoff to Keegan Bradley at the BMW Championship. Those finishes moved Rose to World Number One in the Official World Golf Ranking. The next week, Rose finished T4 at the Tour Championship to win the season-long FedEx Cup and $10,000,000. Rose was part of the winning European team at the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National outside of Paris, France. On 4 November 2018, Rose successfully defended his title at the Turkish Airlines Open with a playoff victory over Li Haotong. This victory returned Rose to World Number One and earned him $1,166,660.
In January 2019, Rose won the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. Around this time, he announced new sponsors. He transitioned from TaylorMade Golf to Honma in a 10-club deal. He also switched from Adidas to Bonobos for his clothing. In May 2020, the deal with Honma was cancelled by Rose, however, after he fell from #1 to #14 in the world rankings. In June, Rose finished tied for 3rd at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.
In February 2023, Rose ended a four-year winless streak when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He shot a final-round 66 to win by three shots over Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu.
In September 2023, Rose played on the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia, Rome, Italy. The European team won 16.5–11.5 and Rose went 1–1–1 including a loss in his Sunday singles match against Patrick Cantlay.
Personal life
Rose married long-time girlfriend Kate Phillips, a former international gymnast, in December 2006. They have a house in Albany, New Providence in The Bahamas, and a riverside flat in the London suburb of Putney. Kate gave birth to their first child, a son, Leo, in February 2009. In January 2012, they had a daughter, Lottie.
Rose is an advocate of sustainable golf facilities and works as an ambassador to the STRI's Golf Environment Awards, hosting receptions for winners.
Honors
Rose was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to golf.
In 2021, he was named as the recipient of the PGA Tour's Payne Stewart Award for his character, sportsmanship and a commitment to charity.
Amateur wins
1995 McGregor Trophy, Carris Trophy
1997 St Andrews Links Trophy
1998 Peter McEvoy Trophy
Professional wins (25)
PGA Tour wins (11)
PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)
European Tour wins (11)
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia
3Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
European Tour playoff record (2–2)
Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
Asian Tour wins (2)
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Sunshine Tour wins (2)
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Other wins (3)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (2013 PGA – 2016 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (2015 Open – 2016 Masters)
Results in The Players Championship
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
World Golf Championships
Wins (2)
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022.
Team appearances
Amateur
European Boys' Team Championship (representing England): 1996, 1997
European Amateur Team Championship (representing England): 1997
Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1997
Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1996, 1997
Bonallack Trophy (representing Europe): 1998 (winners)
Professional
World Cup (representing England): 2002, 2003, 2007, 2011
Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2003 (winners), 2007 (winners)
Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2008, 2012 (winners), 2014 (winners), 2016, 2018 (winners), 2023 (winners)
See also
List of golfers with most European Tour wins
List of men's major championships winning golfers
References
External links
English male golfers
European Tour golfers
PGA Tour golfers
Winners of men's major golf championships
Ryder Cup competitors for Europe
Olympic golfers for Great Britain
Golfers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Olympic medalists in golf
Members of the Order of the British Empire
English expatriates in the United States
Golfers from Johannesburg
People from Fleet, Hampshire
Golfers from London
Golfers from Orlando, Florida
1980 births
Living people