Rose left with predicament due to superb form
Justin Rose is tempted to change his schedule and keep his momentum going following two hugely successful weeks on the European Tour.
The Englishman is finishing the season like a house on fire, capturing victories at the WGC-HSBC Champions and Turkish Airlines Open.
As a result, Rose is single-handedly turning the year-end Race to Dubai into a real fight.
Tommy Fleetwood looked to have secured the European No 1 spot, but his lead has now been trimmed to less than 135,000 points with only two events remaining.
Justin Rose's last two weeks:
• 2 events
• 2 wins
• 8 rounds
• 32 under par
• 67.5 average
• €2.4m earned
• €4,417 per shot pic.twitter.com/OFFUyZzHPq— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 5, 2017
The problem is, Rose is currently not in the field for the penultimate tournament of the year – the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa – as he was keen to reserve his energy rather than playing four weeks in a row. He is also committed to playing in the Hong Kong Open the week after Dubai.
“I put myself in a predicament about next week,” said Rose after his victory in Turkey on Sunday. “I didn’t quite fully anticipate being so close to Tommy, but we’ll have to see. It’s in Tommy’s hands still, but I just know I need to go and play well in Dubai. That’s been my mentality from the outset and it not going to change, but it’s exciting to be within touching distance.
“Playing four in a row is not something that I do scheduling-wise. I’ve done it many times and I feel like by the fourth week, you’re hoping to play well, not knowing you can play well, at least for me. And especially travelling through all these time zones, I’m kind of banking on trying to freshen up and continue my good form and momentum in Dubai.
“I think I’m focusing on if I win there, then Tommy is going to have to play some good golf next week and in Dubai to beat me, and if he does, hats off to him. I’ll set my stall out, and I’ll stick to it.
“I made the decision based on what I know works for me as a golfer, and having been a pro for nearly 20 years, I kind of know what works for me and what doesn’t. I know that when I do play, I want to be ready and prepared to play.”
Relive @JustinRose99's final round in under three minutes#TurkishAirlinesOpen pic.twitter.com/En3cM2zRWJ
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 5, 2017
Rose is also conscious of not spending too much time away from his family.
“My decision was based around what works for me, and also family commitments,” he added. “Being away from the kids for six weeks is not something that I do. Some things aren’t worth the sacrifice, and I really try to be around my family as much as I can and I try to limit the time away to three weeks.
“So those are some of the ways I try to run my life, and you need to make decisions according to that. If I were young, single and could carry on, it would be a much easier decision.”
Latest
-
News
Collin Morikawa keen to draw inspiration from family ties to Hawaii at Sony Open
Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas has withdrawn from the event after testing positive for coronavirus.
-
News
R&A: ‘No plans’ for Open to head to Donald Trump-owned Turnberry in near future
Trump National in Bedminster was on Sunday stripped of next year’s US PGA Championship.
-
News
US PGA Championship moved from Donald Trump-owned course in New Jersey
Trump National in Bedminster had been set to host the event.
-
News
Justin Thomas : ‘I made a terrible, terrible judgement call’
Thomas admitted he was distracted by what happened on Saturday during his final round.
-
News
PGA Championship to be moved away from Donald Trump-owned course
It is the second time in six years the PGA has moved an event away from a course owned by Donald Trump.
-
News
‘It’s inexcusable’ – Justin Thomas apologises for homophobic slur in Hawaii
The world number three was heard using the derogatory word towards himself after missing a par putt.
-
News
Westwood, McDowell back petition to allow English golf courses to open
The duo have added their names to a petition that has passed 100 000 signatures.
-
News
Xander Schauffele pledges to ‘fake it until I make it’ after contracting Covid
Schauffele is one of 16 players in the Sentry Tournament of Champions who failed to win an official event last season.
-
News
After years with TaylorMade, Jon Rahm joins Callaway
Spaniard will have Callaway woods and irons in his bag at Sentry Tournament of Champions.
-
News
What to expect from the 2021 OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic
There are more prestigious events on the European Tour, but there’s no denying that the Dubai Desert Classic just has something about it.