Seven years after his last appearance in the tournament, Justin Rose will compete this year in the Hong Kong Open next November. Nine seasons ago, in October 2015, the English golfer won this event in Fanling joining a select club along with seven other multiple winners. Now he seeks to repeat, while in his mind and on the horizon appears once again his great obsession, the tournament that he is most passionate about in the world, the Ryder Cup.
“Hong Kong holds a special place in my heart,” Rose said as soon as his return was announced. “So does the Hong Kong Open, as when I won in Fanling I was playing the best golf of my life. I have been very fit this year and I am looking forward to coming back,” explained the 44-year-old player, who will headline this Asian Tour event after the start of the DP World Tour in Abu Dhabi.
Rose knows that the years pass for everyone and that his chances of being competitive and fighting for victories are increasingly lower. But the former US Open champion is willing to do anything to try to stay at the top because he has in mind being able to be again in the European team of the Ryder: “I am still very focused on playing the Ryder Cup. I would love to be on the Bethpage team in September next year”.
Justin, also remembers that he has been “very close to winning a major or two this year”. And although his record is extraordinary, he wants to enjoy the feeling of repeating: “Yes, I have won a major; yes, I have been Number One in the world; yes, I have won the Olympic Games. I have done many things, but in reality I have only done them once. So I would love to become a more consistent winner at that level”.
“Obviously that is difficult to do at my age, but it is what keeps me motivated, what makes me keep going. I still think I have that kind of ‘indian summer’ of my career at my disposal,” he said. And he is not wrong because in 2024 he has shown to still be in a position to win big. He was on the verge of lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Troon after being tied for sixth in the PGA Championship. He will keep trying in 2025… with his sights set on the Ryder.
