Rose rules world
... but he’s edged out by Bradley in play-off
WHERE better than the city of Rocky Balboa for the man who began his pro career seemingly pinned to the canvas to finally make it 20 years later to the top of the world?
It might have taken Justin Rose 532 events to be officially recognised as the best golfer on the planet but, on another rainy day in Philadelphia and against a star-studded leaderboard at the BMW Championship yesterday, that can have only rendered the accomplishment all the sweeter.
The only disappointment was losing a play-off for the BMW title to the revitalised former USPGA champion, Keegan Bradley.
Knowing he had achieved his life’s ambition regardless of the play-off outcome, did Rose lose a fraction of focus? The worst hole he played all day was the first extra hole, as an ugly three-putt handed the title to his opponent.
Still, what a way to plant your flag on the summit. By Rose’s side all day was Rory McIlroy. Up ahead was a charging Tiger Woods. Elsewhere, Billy Horschel and Bradley were both shooting rounds of 64. Young American Xander Schauffele was showing his gifts.
Rose stayed calm. He hardly missed a shot and held the putts that mattered before gathering himself over the closing holes. Trailing Bradley by two shots, he birdied the 16th from 8ft, the 17th from 20ft and was unlucky to see a 20ft-putt for the title at the 18th horseshoe out of the hole.
When the play-off didn’t go his way either, it left Rose with a bitter-sweet feeling in the immediate aftermath. But it wasn’t long before he was able to put his world No 1 achievement in perspective.
‘It’s boyhood-dream stuff,’ he said. ‘I’ve won a major, I’ve won an Olympic gold medal and now I’m the world No1. When you look at the players who have held that position, it’s scary company to keep. They’re all great golfers, and it’s a very proud moment for me to join them.’
Woods got within a shot at one point but a bogey at 14 effectively ended his chance. A 65 for tied sixth place, however, meant this was another impressive outing.
McIlroy (68) missed putt after putt to finish fifth. Unsurprisingly, Tommy Fleetwood struggled after going 62, 62 in the second and third rounds but a 69 meant another top ten.
No golfer knows better than Rose the aptness of that old Rocky quote, that it is not about how many punches you take, but whether you can keep moving forward. In 1998 Rose began, lest we forget, with 21 missed halfway cuts in a row.
Mentally, as rough a baptism as sport can offer. But here he is, all these years later, still taking the punches and still moving forward.
Over the past year, Rose has assembled a fabulous body of work to topple Dustin Johnson to become just the 22nd golfer — and fourth Englishman after Sir Nick Faldo, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald — to reach the summit since the world rankings began in 1986.
Over the course of 27 events, he has won four times, been runner-up on four occasions, while finishing in the top ten in an incredible 20 tournaments in all. At the age of 38 years and 42 days, he is the oldest golfer to reach the summit since 41-year-old Vijay Singh in 2004.
Rose has won tournaments in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia. He has played in five Ryder Cups and contributed to three winning teams. In 2016, he won the first Olympic gold medal contested in golf for over 100 years.
Now he’s the world No 1 and the timing, from a Ryder Cup sense, could hardly be more propitious.
Europe wild card Paul Casey withdrew before the start of the final round with a back complaint — potentially a worry with the Ryder Cup just over a fortnight away.
USA captain Jim Furyk last night named his final player, opting for long-hitting Tony Finau to round off the team that will face Europe at Le Golf National outside Paris.
Meanwhile, Bernard Gallacher last night said he was ‘honoured and humbled’ to be named captain of the PGA from April 2021.
The 69-year-old Scottish former Ryder Cup skipper, who turned professional in 1967, will take over from Lurgan Club head professional Peter Hanna, whose term as PGA captain begins next year.
Gallacher, head professional at Wentworth for quarter of a century, played in eight Ryder Cup matches, captaining the European team in 1991, 93 and 95, and won 22 professional tournaments.