Rose hopes his hot streak will survive the winter break
Briton starts season on a run of 10 top-10 finishes Johnson and Mcilroy among Abu Dhabi rivals
Seeing as Justin Rose is in a run of form unmatched in its consistency since Tiger Woods a decade ago, it might be something of a surprise to hear him being described as “flying under the radar”.
But, for the Englishman, if that is the way it is, then so much the better as he tries to carry on his incredible climax to 2017.
Rose tees of his campaign in today’s first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship and, regardless of the presence of world No1 Dustin Johnson, Rory Mcilroy and a support cast featuring Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, he has to be considered one of the favourites, if not the likeliest to win.
Indeed, if this event was rated purely on the recent scoresheets, then surely the punter would not need to look any further, especially as the world No6 has come second and 12th in his only two outings in Abu Dhabi.
From the Northern Trust Open in New York City in August to the Indonesian Masters in Jakarta in December, Rose appeared in 10 tournaments and won three. But as impressive as this winning strike rate was, what was even more remarkable was that he finished in the top 10 on each occasion.
Tiger Woods was the last player who recorded 10 top 10s in succession – in 2007-08 – and Rose is understandably proud of emulating his friend. But, just like Woods – who actually went on to extend this streak to 12 – Rose does not intend for it to end now.
“Ten straight top 10s? That has not been done by me before and probably not been done by many before,” Rose said. “So, that was a solid, consistent run of golf and then to throw three wins in there and have a couple of other chances, that was a really strong streak. And I’m looking forward to keeping that going as long as possible.”
It would be easy to suspect that Rose could probably have done without the Christmas break, particularly after his triumph in Indonesia, where he started and finished with 62s. However, the 37-year-old has been around long enough to know what was required.
“I kept the body fit but didn’t really focus too much on the golf side of things,” Rose said. “I think it’s important to miss the game. I kind of like to have that itch to play again – then I know it’s time to go.”
When asked if it was a plus-point not to be the man under the spotlight, Rose provided a typically deadpan response. “Yeah, absolutely – it’s an art form,” he said. “I’m more than happy with it. Your clubs do the talking.
“The golf course does not recognise who’s world No1. You’ve got to build a new body of work every single week. There’s no point in talking about it. Under the radar is good.”