Rose joins English victory parade
FROM deepest Bedfordshire to the sunny Algarve to the exotic metropolis of Hong Kong, the story has remained the same on the European Tour this October. Another week, another win for an Englishman. This time it was the turn of the nation’s undoubted No 1, Justin Rose, who followed the wins for Matt Fitzpatrick in the British Masters at Woburn and Andy Sullivan’s runway victory in the Portugal Masters by claiming a one-stroke triumph in the Hong Kong Open yesterday. Putting the achievement in perspective, you have to go back almost five years to find the last time three different players from the same country won consecutive events on the European Tour — and they were three South Africans playing in tournaments on home soil. When you think five other Englishmen — Danny Willett, James Morrison, Lee Slattery, David Horsey and Chris Wood — have also won on tour this year, and still we haven’t mentioned Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, it’s hard to think of another major sport where the country has so many proven performers. If there is a small criticism to be levelled at Rose these days it is that he doesn’t win enough but even this ought to be tempered. Only Dustin Johnson has a longer streak when it comes to winning tournaments in consecutive seasons on the PGA Tour — Rose has won at least one event every season stretching back to 2010 — and this latest success extends a similar run on the European circuit to four seasons. Rose lost out at the Memorial tournament in Ohio earlier this year in a sudden death play-off to an unlikely Scandinavian in David Lingmerth and another threatened to do the same, as Lucas Bjerregaard matched him stroke for stroke. The unsung Dane actually held a one-stroke lead with five to play before running up a double bogey. ‘It was nice to get the job done,’ said a relieved Rose. ‘I’ve let a few slip, including a tournament in California the previous week, so I was determined to hold on to this one.’ Fitzpatrick continued his remarkably consistent run by finishing tied third — his fifth top three finish in his last nine starts — while for two more Englishmen there was mixed news. Matt Ford mustered his first top 10 since March to keep his tour card for next year but Ben Evans missed out by one spot after finishing £750 behind the man clinging on to the 110th and last place, Italian Renato Paratore. Poulter’s mad dash to play appeared to catch up with him over the weekend as he finished tied 29th. The good news is he’s back on track to keep his European Tour membership and be eligible to play in the Ryder Cup next year.