It was easy to take Justin Rose as a matter of course.
That is intended as a compliment because he has been good for so long that he has become part of the wallpaper of the game, someone who apparently is always in the conversation, a fixed value on leaderboards and a well -considered voice in what has become a sometimes turbulent game.
With his play-off victory in the FedEx St. Jude Championship Sunday, Rose placed another mark in his career passport, while proving that 45-year-old pro-golfers can do more than wait for their 50th birthday.
Rose not only surpassed JJ Spaun, who has a revealing season, but he surpassed Scottie Scheffler at the end, while he also saw his friend Tommy Fleetwood finding another way not to win. Rose did it with six Birdies in Acht Holes at TPC Southwind in Memphis, the kind of story book finish that should come with Confetti and Loisemakers.
It is a victory that brings sharper focus what Rose has achieved. It was his 12th PGA Tour victory, making him the second winning European in the modern era behind Rory McIlroy, so that he one for Jon Rahm and Sergio García, who took their talents elsewhere, a mega-rich offer that rose rose wisely.
Rose has 11 wins on the DP World Tour, the US Open 2013, five second place in Majors, including two play-off losses in Augusta, the FedEx Cup 2018, could win a second FedEx Cup this year, has an Olympic gold medal and he will play in his seventh Ryder Cup next month at Bethpage Black.
There are not many gaps to be filled on the CV of Rose, although he was quickly finished that he has no longer qualified for the Tour Championship since 2019, a dry run that will end to East Lake next week.
“He is great, right? I love his dedication. I really do that. I always enjoyed how he left the game. I am an admirer of his career. I happen to be very close to him, so I am lucky that I can spend a lot of time with him,” said Fleetwood, who looks beyond his own disappointment on Sunday.
“Yes, at the age of 45 he does not slide at all. He is bursting at it. He is still very fit, very healthy, very motivated. I think he is a great person in Golf to look at.”
And he is again a sealing block in the imposition of Captain Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team.
‘[Winning] Is another real, real, very important signal that I am on the right track with my game, and maybe even getting a little better at the moment. ” – Justin Rose
Rose played against Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson when they were near the highlight of their powers and absorbed the arrival of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, played next to Rahm when he became one of the superpooters of the game and, most recently, has Milroy and Scheffler, just like all the other.
The arch of Rose’s career can bend with age, but it is a slow bend. He remained relevant at an age when he could relax.
“It is clear that Phil made the trend; he won a major at 51. I have the feeling that that is a good motivation,” said Rose. “I still feel that there is that golden summer of my career for me. That is what I have insisted on.
“Moments such as coming close to Throne [in the 2024 Open Championship] And then they clearly come close to Augusta, they are signals that it is possible. [Winning] Is another real, real, very important signal that I am on the right track with my game, and maybe even getting a little better at the moment.
“Shall I ever be the best player I was when I was perhaps 2018 no. 1 in the world? I don’t know, but I don’t have to be, I don’t think, as long as I can find it at the most important times.”
Rose passed the approach of a working man of the game. He does not have McIlroy’s athletic sparkle, the artistry of Mickelson or the extraordinary consistency of Scheffler.
There is a grinding, digit-out-of-the-dirt component that has raised the years over the years and it would be understandable if he was comfortable to close in his third decade as a professional. Instead, Rose has doubled on his dedication.
He believes in what he does and has the results to validate his efforts.
“This year I certainly played some good wave if it did. I feel that my good has been good. My consistency has not been there, but I have told people that I feel when I play my best wave, I can compete with the best players in the world, and of course I proved that I can win nowadays against the best players in the world,” said Rose.
“It’s really a satisfactory day for me to know that the hard work I did is not in vain.”
In the field of holding on the hard work, the downside of Rose’s Memphis victory was the latest near-miss from Fleetwood. Two forward with three to play, Fleetwood unraveled just as he did when he let the Travelers championship slip away earlier this summer.
With 14 top 3 finishes without a victory, Fleetwood cannot escape the burden he is wearing now. He is extremely popular with fans, but the non-WIN label is now just as well part of his story as his long, flowing hair. Fleetwood is not hidden from the obvious and has loved by fans by how he has treated his disappointments.
“All these experiences and these narrow calls … It makes no sense to have a negative effect or to have them on what happens next. What would be the point?” Fleetwood said.
“It was a great week. I did a lot of good things, and as disappointed as I am, I have to try to find the power to make it all a positive experience and hopefully I will go back to that position next time and we will just go again.”
If Fleetwood needs even more motivation, the example of his good friend Justin Rose might be exactly what he needs.
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