Acclaim is Justified for man who Rose to top after a nightmare start to career

NEW World No1 Justin Rose is right to rank the achievement alongside the greatest successes of his career.

To reach the summit – thanks to his runners-up finish at the BMW Championship – is on a par with the brightest highlights of his 20 years as a pro.

Rose may be reigning Olympic champion and 2013 US Open champion, but this feat will resonate the most, given his journey through the ranks.

A tweet dedicated to his late father Ken, which read “we did it Dad – world No1” said it all.

Becoming the first English golfer to hit top spot since Luke Donald in 2012 will mean an awful lot. Only three of his countrymen have held the honour before – Donald, Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood – so becoming the fourth will fill him with an immense sense of pride.

Even more so when you consider the list of top players who have come so close, but never planted their flag at the top of the mountain.

The likes of Colin Montgomerie, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia have all held second spot and fallen agonisingly short.

No wonder then, Rose described it as a “boyhood dream.”

The 38-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise since bursting on to the scene as a fresh faced amateur in a baggy red jumper at Birkdale in 1998. His fourth place finish at that year’s Open propelled him into the paid ranks – he turned pro the next day – and he was being hailed as the next big thing.

It’s remarkable to think he missed his first 21 cuts as a pro before establishing himself on the world stage, but it was an experience that helped mould him into the star he is today.

After progressing his career in Europe – where he won the order of merit in 2007 – he went on to enhance his reputation even further on the PGA Tour.

As well as the US Open, he can count two WGC triumphs, a host of other tournament wins and four Ryder Cup appearances on his CV.

He deserves to look back on his career with pride. Hitting top spot is fitting reward for a player who has shown such a high level of consistency. It is also a shot in the arm for the European Tour and our Ryder Cup prospects to have another European installed as the World No1.

It might be a small edge, but it all helps two weeks out from Paris.

We have seen many No1s come and go since Tiger’s dominance of the late-1990s and mid-2000s, so staying at the top for an extended period will be Justin’s immediate aim now.

Is he good enough to do so? Absolutely.

It’s a timely incentive at this stage of his career.

Second spot is highest Garcia and Mickelson have reached