Rose not about to rest on his laurels
CROMWELL, Conn. — U. S. Open champion Justin Rose has no plans to take any time off after winning his first major championship.
Nathan Grube, the tournament director at the Travelers Championship, said Rose’s wife, Kate, called shortly after he won his first major title, to confirm they would be in Connecticut for this week’s tournament.
“She called last night at about 9: 30 and I looked down at the phone and said, ‘ This is either going to be a really good call or a really bad call,”’ Grube said Monday. “It was fine. She said, ‘ We’re coming, we’re just trying to rearrange our schedule a little bit because of all the media ( commitments).’ ”
Rose, who rose from fifth to third in the current world rankings with his win at Merion, is in a field that includes just five other top- 20 players: Lee Westwood ( 12), Keegan Bradley ( 14), Jason Dufner ( 17), Ian Poulter ( 18), and Bubba Watson ( 19).
Web Simpson ( 21) also is playing a year after he, too, won the U. S. Open and kept his commitment to play in Cromwell.
The Travelers held its opening ceremony on Monday morning, marking the 61st straight year the PGA Tour has visited greater Hartford and the seventh under its current name.
Andy Bessette, the chief administrative officer and executive vice- president of the insurance giant, said the company is in negotiations to remain the title sponsor of the Connecticut PGA stop, and expects to finalize a deal before the end of this summer.
The company took over the title sponsorship in 2006.
The golf tournament begins Wednesday with the annual pro- am, and a celebrity minigolf pro- am.