Time’s right for Rose to turn Green
JUSTIN ROSE says he is in the form of his career and insists he is ready to prove it by capturing the Masters and realising the dream he’s held since he was a child of slipping on the Green Jacket.
There comes a time in life when happiness and contentment abound on and off the course, and Rose is there at the age of 31.
His long-standing back troubles are behind him, allowing his undoubted golf talent to blossom. Now Rose is confident in his ability and the re-worked swing he has forged under coach Sean Foley.
He is a devoted father, and his wife Kate, son Leo and daughter Charlotte were there when he won the WGC, the biggest success of his career in Florida earlier this month.
It was a massive breakthrough, and his fourth US PGA Tour win since he left England in 2004 to live in Florida and ply his trade from there.
But a major title is still missing from his CV. Having led twice at Augusta after 36 holes, in 2004 and 2007, when he eventually ended fifth, Rose is desperate to make amends.
He said: “I’m 31 now, so I’m getting old! I’ve learned the hard way a little bit, as I always saw guys like Ernie and Tiger winning majors at a young age and believed I could too.
“It hasn’t happened yet but there was a spell where I felt I was competing nicely in the majors. In 2007, I had four top 12 finishes and I had a good run at the Masters. One bad tee shot on the 71st hole when I was one back cost me.
“But competing for majors is when you find out about yourself – to get a bit of momentum and confidence going – and I like those tougher tests. They bring out the best in me, and hopefully I can back up that thought process this year at Augusta next month. Maybe you desensitise a little bit to the pressure, to the cameras, the crowds, when you get more comfortable.
“I think that’s why guys like Tiger and Phil Mickelson are so good down the stretch and under pressure, because they’ve done it so often.
“I’ve certainly had my chances in the past, but it’s really a confidence thing. When I do get into contention now, I believe I can go ahead and close it out.”
And the evidence backs up Rose’s bright prediction. His win in Miami was his fourth victory in 20 months – and it means he starts the Masters in nine days’ time as a genuine contender aiming to ensure a Rose blooms among the Augusta azaleas.
As a nine-year-old, he was allowed to stay up late to watch Nick Faldo beat Ray Floyd in a dramatic play-off to win his second successive Masters crown in 1990.
And Rose hopes he can be the next Englishman to follow in Faldo’s illustrious path and give England its first Green Jacket since 1996, when Greg Norman was memorably destroyed when Faldo took his third Masters.
Rose recalled: “As a kid, mum and dad knew golf was my passion and more important than school to me, so they let me stay up to watch the Masters. I always dreamed I would one day play Augusta and get the chance to hole the winning putt for the Masters. “Hopefully this year it’ll come true.”