Justin Rose hits 250 European Tour starts

It seems like only yesterday that a fresh-faced Justin Rose holed-out for birdie on the 72nd hole at Royal Birkdale to finish as the leading amateur in the 1998 Open Championship. But nearly two decades have passed since that young boy jumped for joy as his ball disappeared into the hole, and when the now 34-year-old Rose teed it up at the Qatar Masters it was his 250th start on the European Tour.

He may have matured into a consistently world class performer and major champion, but the Englishman’s career hasn’t all been plane sailing. He missed his first 21 cuts on the European Tour after turning pro following The Open – few would have predicted what he’s gone on to achieve at that point.

“At the time, I thought it was so essential that I had a tour card and everything was going smoothly,” Rose told Golf World. “But really, as long as you’re improving year on year, you’re going to get there eventually. A lot of young players put so much pressure on themselves because they want it now.”

Rose did improve. And quickly. He started the 2001 season with back-to-back runner-up finishes and ended the year at 33rd on the Order of Merit. He’d established himself at the top table of European golf by the tender age of 21 and secured the first of his seven European Tour victories (he also has four PGA Tour victories) at the Dunhill Championship in January 2002.

The biggest wins of his career have undoubtedly been the 2013 US Open and 2012 WGC – Cadillac Championship, but Rose acknowledges the importance of every triumph.

“Seven out of 250 is not a great ratio so you do remember and appreciate them. In golf, you’re forced to try and take the moral victories out of many weeks. A good year is one, two or three wins so it doesn’t happen that regularly and you really need to embrace them, remember them and learn from them.”

Rose enjoyed one of those very good years in 2007 when he clinched the European Tour Order of Merit with victory at the season-ending Volvo Masters. “I think that’s one of my most underrated achievements to be honest with you. I won it in 12 tournaments and it was a year when I had a few injuries and my back was playing up a little bit. It was a year based on playing well in the majors and the WGC events and I obviously had a couple of wins too. Going into the season-ending event at Valderrama in third in the Order of Merit and to win that tournament to capture the money list was an amazing week. Any time you win when you have to win for another reason is very special.”

As well as recording the big victories, Rose has become one of the world’s most consistent players with 20 top-10s in 40 European Tour events over the last three seasons – taking his total to 54.

“I think consistency has become one of my biggest strengths and greatest assets. I didn’t get off to the hottest start in my pro career missing 21 cuts so those top-10s have come much quicker in the last few seasons than ever before. But it’s evolution and my game’s got better, and I’m more experienced too. I’ve had a few weeks where I’ve had good finishes after getting off to bad starts and maybe as a young pro I’d have panicked and ended up missing the cut..”

That consistency has led to €16.5 million in career earnings on the European Tour, a stat that visibly surprised the humble Rose. “It sounds like telephone numbers,” he exclaimed. “It’s amazing to see what you can achieve with this game. It’s funny, when you’re a young pro you’re very conscious of the money. You’re always playing for money because it relates to points and Orders of Merit, and there’s always that motivation. But gone are the days when I’m stood over a putt on the 18th worrying about how much it’s worth – it’s an easier way to play the game.

“I’m fortunate that I’m at a point in my career where I can focus on playing for the right reasons and winning tournaments. I’m 34 right now and I still feel relatively young in my career. I feel like I’ve got 10 great years left in me and I’ve already been doing it for 17 years. It’s an amazing sport.”