Justin Rose determined to overcome ‘tough’ Masters loss
By Scott Hunt, Press Association, Philadelphia
Justin Rose admits the Masters was a “tough loss” to overcome as he brushed off concern over his switch to new irons ahead of the second major of the year.
The 45-year-old led midway through the final round at Augusta last month before a tough run around Amen Corner saw the green jacket elude him once again as he claimed a tie for third.
Rose is a consistent major performer, finishing tied for sixth or better in four of his last eight starts, and is a three-time runner-up at the Masters.
The Englishman says he needed time to get over another near-miss at Augusta as he prepares for this week’s US PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
“I think after The Masters I went home and there was a lot to absorb there, that was a tough loss,” Rose said.
“I think, to be honest with you, the first two weeks back have been just about finding my feet again.
“I just think that there’s cycles of form and there’s cycles of things you’ve got to work through mentally. And I feel like I’ve done a nice job of that now and I feel like the enthusiasm and the energy’s coming back to kind of want to compete.
“I feel just a little bit more switched on and ready to go.”
Rose will launch his bid for a second major with his new McLaren Golf irons in his bag.
He has been a leading figure in McLaren’s move into the market, helping translate their Formula One engineering expertise into the generation of golf clubs.
His first outing with them ended in a tie for 65th at the Cadillac Championship two weeks ago and he followed that with tied-45th at last week’s Truist Championship.
Rose has acknowledged it will take time to adjust amid talk of it being a gamble between major championships, but said: “I just don’t think that it’s a big deal.
“I’ve been working hard on this project for 18 months now and it’s kind of like it’s a full wishlist of all of the things I would like to see in a set of irons.
“I’ve enjoyed the process of getting to this point. I would love to play great this week with them. I can play great this week with them. The fact I haven’t played great the last two weeks has got nothing to do with the irons.”
Asked if he was worried about disrupting his consistent form, Rose added: “It’s about always pushing myself to be better. That’s why I’m here at 45.
“I’m not here at 45 because I’ve done the same things over the last 10 years. It’s because I’m always doing something different, I’m always pushing myself, I’m always finding one per cents. That’s what makes it exciting.”
Rose is one of only two players in the field – alongside Keegan Bradley – to have won at Aronimink before, also finishing second to Bradley, while his only major win came in Philadelphia in the 2013 US Open down the road at Merion Golf Club.
“I think the whole area feels very familiar to the part of England I live in (Surrey), very leafy, very green,” he added.
“Even this time of year I feel like the spring here is very much like the spring in England right now. So it feels very familiar from that point of view.
“Aronimink’s been a course that’s been kind to me in the past.”
