So the six-time PGA Tour winner already has some practical experience with what the USGA and R&A might be getting ready to do. Citing industry sources, Golf Digest reported Friday that golf’s governing bodies are expected to announce next week a rule change that would universally roll back golf ball distances. The expected rule change comes after a three-year “Notice and Comment” period with equipment manufacturers and other golf organisations, including the PGA Tour.

It is expected that a new standard for testing the conformity of golf balls would be introduced for elite players and competitions in 2028 and then for recreational players in 2030.

“Srixon made whatever the USGA was saying, and it was 40, 50 yards [shorter] with my driver,” Bradley, 37, said Saturday at the Hero World Challenge. “I was a club or two shorter. I think that the USGA … everything that they do is reactionary. They don’t think of a solution. They just think we’re going to affect a hundred percent of the population that plays golf. For the amateur world to hit the ball shorter is monstrous. I can’t think of anything more stupid than that. I don’t think it’s very smart at all, especially when golf’s growing in popularity literally coming out of COVID.”

Among players who were asked about the potential rule change at the Hero World Challenge, no one thought a universal roll back was a good idea. And only tournament host Tiger Woods thinks it would be the right thing to do in the professional game. He and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy have been the biggest proponents of reigning in the ball at the elite level.

“We’ve been hammering the ball needs to slow down,” Woods, 47, said after a third-round one-under 71 at Albany, “but it has kept speeding up my entire time on tour and here we are. I’ve always been for bifurcation. I’ve always said that. Just like wood bats and metal bats [in baseball].”

On Sunday morning, Rory McIlroy took to X (formerly Twitter) with a passionate case for the rollback and against its critics.

I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball roll back. It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past 2 decades.…

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) December 3, 2023

Former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose was surprised to hear that the governing bodies were considering an across-the-board change for amateurs as well as professionals.

“I think the way I saw it going was the tour doing one thing [with a model local rule] and maybe major championships doing another. And that puts a lot of pressure on the tour,” Rose, 43, of England, said. “Now if recreational golf is rolling back, too, it doesn’t make sense for the tour to stay where we were. Because I think if the amateurs were going to continue to stay where they were, the tour, were going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to stay where we are because we want the fan to be able to relate to the tour player.’ That made sense to me. And then obviously if there was a ball for a major championship then so be it, we’d have to learn how to adapt. So that’s the way I would’ve hedged it going. Now it’s even a weirder situation. The amateurs are playing the ball that’s slower than what we’re playing on tour. That doesn’t feel right either.”

Rickie Fowler is not a fan of the ruling bodies making any change to the ball at any level. “There are other ways of going about this,” he said, adding that they are “20 years too late” on the issue.

But he is especially opposed to a shorter ball for recreational players. “To take the game and knock it back when it’s in the best position it’s ever been in, I don’t want to see it as the golf ball being necessarily the right move,” Fowler added. “I don’t see how when we’re at the best place the game has ever been. ‘Oh, you love the game? Yeah. Hey, thanks for joining us over COVID. Now we’re going to make you hit it 20 yards shorter. Have fun.’ I understand both sides. But looking at it as far as the game and everyone talks about growing the game, I think it’s going to be a huge step back.”

Bradley, who already had to adjust his game to a change in equipment rules several years ago when the governing bodies prohibiting an anchored putting stroke, wonders how he and his peers will be forced to adjust their games further.

“I don’t know what the ramifications are going to be with the ball—what they’re going to do, what direction they going to go,” he said. “It would have to be a complete overhaul of the equipment that I use, the shafts that I use. Yeah, I mean the amount of change that’s happened just in the course of my career is insane.

“I think we constantly get penalised for mistakes they [USGA and R&A] make. Whether if they let the ball go too far, that’s not our problem. They [are doing this] to punish not only the professional golfers, but the world of golf for something that they screwed up on. I really think it’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.”

Image: David Cannon

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He dropped a variety to crucial ones over the course of the two fourball sessions, including two match winning birdie putts, the latter of which helped him and Robert MacIntyre deliver Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth their first fourballs loss.

The moment @JustinRose99 clinched another point for Europe! #TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/Als2JpuPVY

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 30, 2023

You may have noticed that before each of those putts — and every putt Rose hits on the green — that he tucks the sleeve on his left arm into his left armpit.

It’s entirely legal (you wouldn’t be allowed to tuck an outside object into your armpit, but your own shirt is fine), and Rose does it for a good reason.

 

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A post shared by Luke Kerr-Dineen (@lkd_golf)

As he explains: “I’m trying to make everything as simple as I can…strip away as many excess movements as possible, so I can just focus on moving the putter very cleanly, and simply,” Rose says.

Rose says his claw-putter grip is an essential ingredient to this, because it allows him to hold the putter lightly in place and let the unique balance point of his Axis 1 putter swing as it’s designed.

The shirt sleeve is the third part, because that effectively helps organise his stroke.

“I want my arms and body to move as a unit,” he says. “The shirt sleeve is a little reminder to keep that connection between my arms and chest, so everything moves as one.”

Clearly, it’s working.

Main image: Maddie Meyer/PGA of America

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Having just signed for a closing 72 and a five-under-par total of 283 for the week, Justin Rose was well aware he was not going to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. But, no matter, at the end of a week in which he “hasn’t wasted any putts, for sure”, the former US Open champion already had bigger things on his mind. Specifically, what will be his sixth appearance in European colours when he lines up at Marco Simone later this month for the 44th Ryder Cup.

Rose is likely to play a vital role on captain Luke Donald’s team. Two actually. By seven years the oldest member of the 12-strong squad, the South African-born Englishman is second only to Rory McIlroy when it comes to appearances in the biennial contest against the United States (six starts to McIlroy’s seven). So Rose has much to offer off the course as well as on.

“I’ve thought about my role for sure,” the 43-year-old said. “I do come in with a lot of experience. But it’s not a role I want to push on any of the younger lads. It needs to be natural and organic. I don’t want to install my views on the others if it is not how they see things. They need to come to me. But if they do, I’m more than happy to dive into that role. Having said that, the youngsters today do seem to be a little bit more self-assured than generations past. So it is best to let them free-wheel. Any pitfalls they have to experience for themselves. My role is really to get comfortable with them and be there for them if required.”

There won’t be any problem if they don’t. Rose understands.

“I’ve never been good at asking questions actually,” he said. “I sometimes think I should have been asking more. I’m pretty good at learning the hard way. But sometimes there isn’t time to learn that way.”

By way of example, Rose already feels like he has helped rookie Nicolai Hojgaard — with whom he played the last two rounds at Wentworth — get a better feel for four-ball tactics.

“I was just chatting to Nicolai on the course,” Rose said. “It was nothing specific, just overall strategy in and around four-balls. I hope he is absorbing things without really realising it. I could tell he really got what I was saying. I pointed out the way we played the first hole yesterday. When I hit the fairway, he might have been tempted to whip out the driver if he was my partner. But he did what I did. We both hit the green and had birdie putts, which we both made. That’s great strategy. Two putts is better than one.”

As for overall team bonding, Rose is more than happy to see that such an important aspect of the build-up is way ahead of previous schedules.

“The bonding started last Monday in Rome, which has made this week a more gentle carry-over,” he said. “But the benefits are there. I was on the adjacent eighth tee today when Sepp Straka drove off the 11th. He looked over and gave me a thumbs-up. That wouldn’t have happened had we not gone to Rome. So there is momentum already. I love the way the team is shaping up. It’s very balanced. We have a nod to the past. We have the top players in the game. And we have some new blood.”

All of which is good news for Rose, who found himself in the dreaded “13th man” slot two years ago. So he knows exactly how the unfortunate Adrian Meronk is feeling this time round. But amid the disappointment, Rose also has realism.

“Some players say the Ryder Cup is the greatest week of your life, win or lose,” he says with a smile. “That’s rubbish. They are actually awful if you lose. I don’t enjoy losing. So last time would have been a tough week. My game wasn’t exactly where I wanted it to be. I’d have gone there struggling to earn points. But yes, I was disappointed.

“I told Adrian this week to use it positively,” Rose continued. “Let the burn ignite a fire you can work with and fan the flames for the next two years. But with six picks it was hard to play your way on automatically. When there are, say, two wildcards you stick out a bit. Half of this team has been picked so no one should be feeling the same weight of expectation. That’s a good thing.”

Among many apparently. Only 12 days to go.

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Throwing out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game is a great honor. It’s also potentially a giant trap.

From 50 Cent to Carly Rae Jepsen, the list of celebrities who have failed miserably in front of millions of people is long. And their efforts — if you can even call them that — live in Internet infamy.

Justin Rose was obviously well aware of that when he took the mound at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Tuesday night. The former World No. 1 is in town for this week’s BMW Championship as he tries to capture a second FedEx Cup. But first, he attempted a ceremonial toss before the Cubs took on their crosstown rival White Sox. And … he did fairly well. Have a look for yourself:

The jersey looks good on you, @JustinRose99.

A successful first pitch to kick off the week @Cubs pic.twitter.com/DmOXYiMkUs

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 16, 2023

Not too shabby — especially since Rose actually threw from the mound unlike most. It should be no surprise that a past US Open champ wanted a little extra challenge. And who knows? That could have even been called a strike if this guy was behind the plate:

Might be worst one I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/n93qUq0GKs

— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) August 16, 2023

But our favorite part of the clip is Rose’s reaction to rewatching his pitch moments after. The Brit offers a slight cringe before consoling himself by saying: “It’s not making viral embarrassment.”

Rose is right about that. And while that’s a low bar to clear, in this case, it’s an important one. So congrats to Justin on a job (well?) done. Mission accomplished.

The post Justin Rose had a classic quote after throwing out the first pitch at a Cubs game appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Justin Rose produced a late fightback to share the lead with Antoine Rozner heading into the weekend at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

The Major Champion entered day two at The Belfry with a one-shot lead and still held that when he teed off in the afternoon, with Frenchman Rozner having set the target at six under with a 68.

But he would soon find himself three off the lead after four bogeys in his first ten holes before he picked up three shots in his last seven in a 73 to rejoin Rozner at the summit.

English amateur John Gough was then at five under alongside countrymen James Morrison, Andy Sullivan and Oliver Wilson, defending champion Thorbjørn Olesen, another Dane in Niklas Nørgaard and German Yannik Paul.

Rose claimed the second of his 11 DP World Tour wins at this event back in 2002 and since then has achieved almost everything there is to in the game, winning the 2013 U.S. Open along with Olympic Gold, World Golf Championships, Rolex Series events and topping the Rankings on both sides of the Atlantic en route to being a World Number One.

On a wet and windy day, however, The Belfry can be a test for anyone and Rose was delighted to use all his experience after his poor start on day two.

“If I had gone and shot 76 today, I’d have walked off and been quite bewildered because I did not play that badly but the score had slipped away from me after ten holes and that is what it is,” he said. “The scorecard doesn’t lie at the end of the day.

“You count on those par-fives on the back nine a little bit, 15 and 17, to try to give you some opportunities. But they are certainly no gimmie birdies, either.

“So I’m sticking with it and readjusted my goals. Actually set myself a goal for the last seven holes to be three under par and that’s what it turned out to be.

“Didn’t appreciate that I would still be leading the golf tournament but through 36 holes I’m in a great spot.”

Rozner is enjoying yet another impressive season on the DP World Tour since his 2019 graduation from the European Challenge Tour which was achieved with the help of two wins in as many weeks in Spain and the Czech Republic.

Since then he has finished in the top 50 on the Rankings every season, claiming three wins – including the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December – and he has three other top tens and just two missed cuts from 15 starts this campaign.

“I’ve been hitting the ball pretty solid for the most part,” he said. “Putting has been good even though the last few weeks were a bit not as good.

“But I think my whole game is good. I don’t have any weakness in my game, so I think that helps me just be very consistent week after week.

“It’s a course where I’ve never really played well. So just to be able to get out and produce some solid golf, I was really happy with that in the first place. Today, I caught a few putt drops, so that’s good. I’m right where I need to be, so really happy with my game so far.”

Rozner was among the early starters and he put a tee shot to four feet on the tenth and then holed a long putt at the next before surrendering a bogey on the 15th.

Antoine Rozner. Image supplied

A two-putt birdie on the par-five 17th, another long putt on the 18th and a smart approach to 14 feet on the second had him just one back but he bogeyed the fourth before picking the shot back up on the eighth from seven feet.

He was in a share as Rose three-putted from the fringe on the first and soon had top spot to himself as the overnight leader hit a poor tee shot on the fifth.

The home hero was tumbling down the leaderboard as he three-putted the seventh and missed the green at the tenth, with Gough taking over the English charge.

He holed from off the green at the 12th and while he gave the shot back at the 14th, he took advantage of the 17th and holed from 18 feet at the next to share the lead.

A dropped shot at the fourth was followed by an approach to tap-in range at the next which got him back to six under, where he was soon joined by a resurgent Rose.

The 42-year-old put a tee shot to eight feet at the 12th and took advantage of a big drive at the next before making a fifth bogey of the day with a three-putt at the 14th.

But he got up and down from the sand with the help of a 34-footer at the par-five 15th and then made a two-putt birdie on his penultimate hole to get back in a share.

Gough had a chance to take the solo lead after an impressive tee shot at the seventh but missed from 12 feet before finding the water at the next to sign for a 71.

Paul had briefly been at the summit as he recovered from bogeys on the fourth and sixth with birdies on the tenth, 13th, 15th and 17th but a poor chip on the last dropped him back to five under after a 71.

Olesen made five birdies and two bogeys in his 69, a tally shared by Nørgaard, while Sullivan birdied five of his last seven holes in a 68.

Wilson carded a 70 and Morrison signed for a 71 to sit a shot ahead of Scottish pair Ewen Ferguson and Robert MacIntyre and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.

The post Justin Rose fights back to share Belfry lead with Antoine Rozner appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Justin Rose delighted the home crowds with an opening 65 that handed him a one-shot lead at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

With big galleries gathered at the storied setting of The Belfry, the Englishman dropped just a single shot in getting to seven under to lead the way from fellow Briton Jamie Donaldson.

Amateur John Gough was then at four under alongside fellow Englishman James Morrison, Spaniard Sebastian Garcia, German Yannik Paul and Frenchman Adrien Saddier.

Rose won the second of his 11 DP World Tour titles – and so far only one in England – at this event in 2002 and since then has gone on to have a remarkable career including a Major Championship victory, two Rolex Series wins, two World Golf Championships triumphs, a Harry Vardon Trophy and a spell at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

He has also played on three Ryder Cup-winning teams and could be on course for a return to the European fold after claiming a first win in four years on the PGA TOUR at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.

His last win on the DP World Tour came in 2018 when he claimed the second of back-to-back wins at the Turkish Airlines Open and the 42-year-old believes he is in a good position to take a 12th career victory.

“I think anybody who is playing in a rich vein of form has fairly simple thoughts and has good, strong feels and you kind of layer those feels week-to-week-to-week which obviously builds trust in your game,” he said. “I think I have a clear sort of blueprint with what I’m working on and can build momentum behind it.

“I felt very comfortable with my game from the first shot, really. Hit a beautiful little wedge into the tenth hole. Got off to a good start, nice birdie there, and I actually think that’s probably the best, cleanest round of golf I’ve played in a long, long time, probably even this year, as well as I have been playing.

“That one just felt a little smoother and I really drove the ball well. The fairways are incredibly narrow here and I felt confident with the driver and felt like the irons were being struck pretty cleanly and I haven’t had many putts, really, through the front nine to be four under par.

“Managed to actually make a few coming in, which is great, and obviously all amounted to a very good day’s work.”

Rose left himself a tap-in on the tenth and then put his tee-shot to seven feet on the par-three 12th before a pair of two-putt birdies on the par-five 15th and 17th saw him turn in 32.

Approaches to inside ten feet on the second and fifth were followed by a 31-foot putt on the sixth which opened up a three-shot lead but when Rose went over the back of the eighth for his only bogey of the day, he was in a share with the fast-finishing Donaldson.

The Welshman made a two-putt birdie on the par-five third and holed from 13 feet on the next but he found water on the sixth and was just one under after 12 holes.

A birdie from four feet on the 13th was followed by a par but the then got up and down from the sand on the 15th, put an approach to three feet on the next, birdied the 17th after laying up and then holed a 41-footer on the last for a four-birdie finish.

It looked like he would finish the day alongside Rose with the 2013 U.S. Open champion 24 feet away on the ninth but Rose made the putt to edge ahead.

“I was just trying to be patient,” said Donaldson. “You never know. The holes were a lot of downwind holes towards the end there, so it made it easier to have birdie chances and hit a few good shots.

Jamie Donaldson. Image supplied

“That was a nice one to hole on 18 from a distance. That green is so slopey, you’re just happy with two putts and a par but it was great to see it go in and finish well there.

“I’m only an hour and ten minutes from home, so it’s great to play on British soil. I love it. I’ve always enjoyed playing on British soil because it’s what you’re used to, isn’t it? It’s what you’ve grown up with and what you’re used to. Great coming here and playing here at The Belfry.”

Garcia had been one shot off the lead before he found water at the sixth to surrender a double-bogey that was his only blemish of the day.

Morrison was bogey-free, Gough made five birdies after bogeying the first, Paul – who rated his chances of playing at just 30 per cent on Tuesday due to injury – made six birdies and two bogeys, while Saddier had an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys.

There was then a group of 11 players four shots off the lead.

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The trio will be part of a world-class field at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian, including defending champion Xander Schauffele and major winners Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Thomas.

Scheffler, who defends his WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play title this week, has been in imperious form since claiming his first PGA Tour win in February 2022. That victory at the WM Phoenix Open ignited a run of four wins in six starts, including his maiden Major title at The Masters Tournament, and which led to his first ascent to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 26-year-old has started 2023 in the same vein, warming up for his return to Augusta National by successfully defending his WM Phoenix Open title and winning The Players Championship, joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win The Masters and The Players within a 12-month span.

Scheffler, who is teeing it up at the Genesis Scottish Open for the third consecutive season, said: “I’ve enjoyed having the Genesis Scottish Open on my schedule over the past few years and I’m looking forward to getting back to the Renaissance Club again.

“It’s a fun golf course to play, and I really like the style of golf it requires of you. I feel like it helps with preparation going into The Open the following week too, getting a feel for the style of golf and also playing in a big event with such a strong field and supportive fans.”

Justin Rose. Getty Images

Rose is aiming for a second victory in Scotland’s National Open, following his 2014 triumph. His two-shot win at Royal Aberdeen meant back-to-back titles for the first time in his career after his victory at the Quicken Loans National on the PGA Tour two weeks prior.

The Englishman has enjoyed an impressive 2023 season, clinching his 11th PGA Tour win and his first worldwide title in four years with a three-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, moving back inside the world’s top 50 and into contention for a sixth Ryder Cup appearance.

The 2013 US Open champion and 2016 Olympic gold medal winner said: “The win in 2014 was part of a special run in my career, and it’s always a pleasure to come back to the Genesis Scottish Open.

“The Scottish fans are knowledgeable and appreciative of good golf, and they add so much to what is already a huge event. My game is in a great place just now and I look forward to trying to lift the trophy for a second time this summer.”

Robert MacIntyre. Warren Little

MacIntyre will once again lead the Scottish charge, with the 26-year-old making his fifth consecutive appearance in his home open this summer. The Oban native has quickly established himself as Scotland’s No. 1 male player since being named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2019, going on to win two DP World Tour titles.

The last of those victories, in the 2022 Italian Open, came at Marco Simone Golf Club, the venue for this year’s Ryder Cup.

MacIntyre, who will be vying to become the first Scot to win the event since Colin Montgomerie in 1999, said: “There is no better feeling than playing in front of your home crowds, and I can’t wait for the Genesis Scottish Open to come around again this season.

“It’s always been a huge event, and from becoming part of the Rolex Series to being co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour, it has just become bigger and better every year. It’s always a highlight of my summer and I look forward to trying to get my hands on that trophy in what is a massive year.”

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It’s actually been anything but, however. In the Pro-Am’s long history, no European-born player had ever won up until Monday, when England’s Justin Rose pulled off the shocking statistical first that was pointed out by stats guru Justin Ray as Rose was closing the deal in California:

Incredibly, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am has never had a European winner in its long history as a PGA Tour event.

Justin Rose would be the first.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) February 6, 2023

Almost hard to believe, but 100 per cent true upon closer look. In 82 editions of the event which dates back to 1937, an American has won 77 times. The four other non-USA victories belong to Canada’s Nick Taylor (2020), Fiji’s Vijay Singh (2004), Australia’s Brett Ogle (1993) and Bruce Crampton (1965). Between 1937 and 1992, Crampton was the only non-US-born player to win the event.

It should be noted that way back when, European-born players would not play much in the US for the first few months of the season, and they wouldn’t have much success even when they did. Even today, many of the bigger European names will leave Pebble off their early-season schedule thanks to a number of bigger Asian Tour and DP World Tour events taking place right before or right after. This year, only 19 European-born players were in the field, and Rose was the only one to even finish in the top 10. And still, it’s hard to fathom that a European player didn’t even randomly win this tournament once.

Rose also added some important context during his victory press conference.

“European players I think throughout the 1980s and 1990s didn’t have a lot of success on the PGA Tour, period,” Rose said after claiming his 11th PGA Tour win. “I don’t think. Faldo did decently. But even he didn’t win prolifically over here in the States. Westie [Lee Westwood], [Darren] Clarke, those guys that were at the peak of the powers in the European Tour days, never really won a lot over here.

“So there’s really only been the emergence of Jon Rahm and maybe myself even in the last sort of decade or so that there’s been more opportunities for European players,” he added. “So, yeah, it doesn’t surprise me a ton actually. But Pebble is the type of golf course with the conditions and the elements that you think you could argue would suit European players a little bit more. Maybe there should have been more opportunity for them.”

Only a pair of outliers came close to winning the event, the most recent being Paul Casey, who finished runner-up on a Monday in 2019 to Phil Mickelson. Before that, you have to go back to 1977 to find another European runner-up, England’s Tony Jacklin. And while neither victory came in the Pro-Am, two well-known European players in Graeme McDowell and Viktor Hovland won rather important events at Pebble, the former the 2010 US Open and the latter the 2018 US Amateur.

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It took five days to get four rounds in at the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but the Monday finish was worth the wait for Rose, who leaves as the tournament champ.

“Time really does fly by,” Rose said after final-round six-under 66 that got him to an 18-under 269 total, besting Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu by three shots. “That’s the beauty of this tournament, a lot can be thrown at you.”

Was there a bit of luck? There was: There always is at this tournament with its three-course rotation and fickle weather. Rose made it out on the right side of the draw, playing Pebble when it was at its tamest on Thursday. He recorded an ace on Spyglass Hill’s 15th on Friday, and took advantage of a soaked Monterey Peninsula following the third round’s resumption of play Sunday morning, going six under on the final 10 holes for a third-round 65.

But the final round still needed to be contested, and Rose would be playing on the same course and in the same conditions as his competitors. He opened with a bogey on Sunday, but bounced back with birdie at Pebble Beach’s par-5 second. He followed with an eagle on the par-5 sixth and birdie at the par-3 seventh to take a two-shot lead when play was halted Sunday, Rose having nine holes to play.

A day later did nothing to cool Rose’s heater, with his putter leading the charge. Rose dropped in three birdies — a 26-footer at the 11th, a 20-footer at the 13th and a 10-footer at the 14th — on his first five holes. Rose attributed his Monday run, however, to a five-footer for par at the 10th.

“It reminded me very much of the first hole yesterday where I made a soft bogey,” Rose said. “Again, it was a little cold this morning. The 9-iron didn’t go very far. The ball spun a little bit. I’m left with four and a half feet. The greens didn’t look that tremendous clean this morning either. It kind of had that feeling. So making that first four and a half-footer on the first green of the day kind of set me up for the rest of the way.”

Routine pars followed, turning the final four holes from a competition into a victory procession. Afterward, Rose thanked his family and his team for having more belief in him than perhaps he did at times. Rose is not being glib. He’s accomplished so much in this game — Monday’s victory marks his 11th on the PGA Tour and 25th career worldwide win — that his bright past has concealed how lacklustre his present has been.

The last time he won, the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open, Rose was No. 1 in the world, the reigning FedEx Cup champ, a member of a winning European Ryder Cup team who was fresh off a shocking equipment deal signing. But that equipment arrangement soon soured while recurring back issues zapped him of power and practice time, and his game was a bit in shambles.

The Englishman entered the week outside the OWGR top 70. He failed to advance to the second stage of last year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and missed the postseason the year before. He was kept off a Ryder Cup team that was blown out at Whistling Straits and currently does not have an official equipment deal. He was eligible to play in every major since the 2010 US Open, but heading into the week he had not secured an invite to the 2023 Masters.

Denny McCarthy hits a second shot on the 18th hole during the Monday morning continuation of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

There had been signs of a turnaround. Rose finished T-9 at the Houston Open last fall and was T-29 or better in his last three starts. Conversely, after being a star for the better part of the past decade Rose had become somewhat of an afterthought. And though players are prolonging their careers longer than ever, the tour remains a circuit dominated by youth, and when things go south at 40 — especially for those who battle back problems like Rose had — rarely are they steered back in the right direction.

Yet that’s what Rose has done. Through talent and perseverance, of course. Through experimentation: Rose had a last-second equipment change on Tuesday, putting in new irons that he hadn’t played before. But also for his willingness to take a chance of himself.

Most of Rose’s former Ryder Cup colleagues, particularly the older bunch, have left for the guaranteed money offered by LIV Golf, and Rose’s name has often been mentioned as a potential defector. While Rose hasn’t passed judgement and on those who have signed with the Saudi-backed circuit, he made it clear last summer that he would not be joining them, and for a simple reason.

“At this stage in my career, I am 42 nearly and have to be selfish to make the final push,” Rose told the Mirror Sport last July. “I would prove something to myself if I could step up and play well again on the biggest stage for sure.”

With the win, the major eligibility streak remains intact, gaining spots to the Masters and PGA Championship. The win also puts him on the Ryder Cup radar as the Europeans seek to avenge their 2021 loss. Though far from the No. 1 spot, the win pushes him in the right direction.

“We always know we can do it, but sometimes you got to see the proof,” Rose said. “That does make me feel good.”

Most importantly, this week in Monterey proved that Rose can still play on the biggest stages, and still play well. He needed an extra day to see it through, but Rose’s bet on himself paid off.

The post Justin Rose wins at Pebble Beach by backing himself appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Finau’s third-round two-under-par 68 is enough to give him a four-shot cushion over journeyman Ben Taylor, who is back on the PGA Tour after a year on the Korn Ferry Tour.

It wasn’t an exciting day for Finau. The 33-year-old made his hay much in the same way he always does: with a long, controlled game off the tee. He was fourth in driving distance and third in strokes gained/off the tee Saturday, hitting every fairway.

“I hit the driver as good as I’ve ever hit it,” Finau said. “Today, I hit all 13 fairways, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever done on my career on the PGA Tour — hit every fairway. So that was super important, and I was able to knock a couple birdies in because of that.

“That was a really good round. I think the score doesn’t say that, but I think I played better than yesterday. You know, yesterday I shot 62, but today that 68 I thought was pretty impressive for the conditions.”

Finau was otherwise unspectacular on the day, putting up only slightly better than average numbers in strokes gained: putting and around the green. Outside of his two made birdie putts, from 21 and 18 feet, respectively, he didn’t hole anything longer than five feet.

A win on Sunday would be Finau’s first of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season and the fifth of his career. And it would be the the third since he went back-to-back last July.

“Winning breeds confidence, but I think also you have to make it happen and I was able to make it happen a couple weeks in a row last year with the lead, and I’m sitting on another lead, sleeping on another lead tonight,” Finau said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a challenge; it’s not easy to win on the PGA Tour. As easy as some guys make it look, it’s just not easy.”

Finau might not have gone low on moving day, but two of his closest competitors took full advantage. Englishmen Justin Rose and the aforementioned Taylor posted 66 and 65, respectively, to get within shouting distance of the lead. A seasoned veteran like Rose knows, though, that it’ll take some good fortune — from the perspective of the field — for anyone other than Finau to be hoisting the trophy on Sunday evening.

“Listen, it’s all in Tony’s hands,” Rose said. “You can see everybody stacking up behind him — nine-under, eight-under, seven-under, six-under. If Tony doesn’t have a great day tomorrow, there’s 20 guys that can win the tournament. If Tony goes ahead and plays well tomorrow, there’s one or two guys that can go out and probably have a great round of golf to sort of ask the question and put some pressure on him.”

For Taylor, though, the maths are a bit different. At 30 years old, with only one Korn Ferry Tour win to his name, a victory would be life-changing. Yet, with roughly $1.5 million and a multi-year PGA Tour exemption on the line, Taylor is going about his business like any other tournament.

“I’ve certainly had a much more level head on my shoulders this past season,” Taylor said. “I did two years on the PGA Tour, back to the Korn Ferry and had a very consistent year. I kind of swallowed a bit of humble pie and realized I had to go back to the Korn Ferry Tour, and I think my game and my well being is in a much better place having gone through that. To me, tomorrow’s not going to be any different. I’m still very grateful to be here, I’m playing good golf, I know I deserve to be here. We’ll go out tomorrow and have some fun.”

Amen, Mr. Taylor.

A score may be out there. But as Rose said, the fate of the tournament rests almost squarely in Finau’s hands.

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The post Tony Finau takes a big lead into Sunday with two very different Englishmen chasing him appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.