Justin Rose is proud that, having turned 46 less than two weeks ago, he enters the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 24 and bucking the PGA Tour trend of pros in their 40s — especially the late 40s — trying to hang on to whatever status that they can manage until becoming eligible at age 50.
Rose won earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance
and nearly won the Masters in April and shows little sign of losing anything off his fastball.“I'm not really interested in sticking around and just making up the numbers and waiting for the Champions Tour or whatever that might be,” he said on Tuesday in a press conference ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. “For me, it's about just really pushing myself to stay elite, to stay playing at the top
end of the game, and to kind of keep giving myself and putting myself in with experiences that will create lifetime memories.
“That's only going to happen by playing in the biggest tournaments and at the highest level. That's my motivation, and if I'm not achieving that, I would sort of really question why I'm making the sacrifice away from family and friends and all the other great things that I have going on in my life.”
Rose, a former world No. 1, enters the week at No. 12 in the OWGR and an outlier in the world of pro golf with his ability to hold off Father Time. He threatened in April to win that elusive second major title. Rose concedes that he squandered a golden opportunity to win the Masters. He held the lead on the back nine when he made bogey at No. 11, and the birdies began to dry up, allowing Rory McIlroy to slip into the Green Jacket for a second consecutive year. Majors and the next Ryder Cup, which will be held in Ireland in 13 months, are the prizes that drive his excellence.
Rose continues to push himself both on the course and in the gym to stay competitive with the new generation of world beaters who show no fear. He said he's rested after three weeks off since the British Open, and poised to make a playoff run beginning at TPC Southwind, where he pulled out a dramatic playoff victory over J.J. Spaun a year ago.
“I'm kind of waiting to sort of really catch fire again,” Rose said. “I played some good, solid golf, but I'm kind of waiting for a run. Hopefully the three weeks off that we've just had is a bit of a refresher now, and I can really focus on this last, final push.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Justin Rose rejects 'hanging on' as he chases wins
