Justin Rose Looks To Take Advantage of Last-Minute Qualifying for British Open

In 1998, Justin Rose – then a wide-eyed 17-year-old amateur golfer – burst onto the international stage at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. It appeared to all watching that a star was on the rise, destined for greatness, countless trophies, and the adoration of golf fans around the world.

And although those accolades did come to fruition, the journey there, as well as to this year’s Open Championship, was anything but preordained for Rose.

Justin Rose breaks onto the scene as an amateur at Royal Birkdale

A new star was indeed on the rise in 1998. You may have heard of him – Tiger Woods. Excitement in the game of golf was palpable with this club-twirling, drive-bombing, fist-pumping “kid” from southern California taking the golf world by storm.

Across the pond, another “kid” was making a name for himself in the amateur ranks – a tall, skinny lad from Hampshire, England, by the name of Justin Rose. In 1997 at the age of 17, he became the youngest player to compete in the Walker Cup, earning two points for GB&I in a losing team effort to the United States.

The following year, Rose entered Final Qualifying as an amateur and earned a spot in the 127th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, his first appearance in a major championship. Entering the final round in fifth place, Rose had a chance to become the first amateur winner of the Open in more than 60 years, and the first in the modern era. Although Mark O’Meara was the eventual winner, much of the spotlight belonged to Rose.

Coming up the 18th hole, Rose found the heather some 50 yards short of the green with his second shot. With Birkdale’s iconic clubhouse in the background, Rose proceeded to hoist a lovely pitch shot that found the green and the hole for a walk-off birdie. He finished in a tie for fourth and won the prestigious silver medal as the low amateur for the week.

The following day, he turned pro.

The trophies, the greatness, the glory – all seemed there for the taking. Only it didn’t happen that way. It rarely does in golf. Early success sets up high expectations and many have faltered under the pressure.

Whether it was those lofty expectations or something else, Rose would go on to miss 21 consecutive cuts to begin his pro career. Go ahead, read that number again. He began his professional career by missing the cut in 21 straight tournaments! Lesser players may have succumbed to that failure and faded away into obscurity.

Justin Rose is not like everyone else. In 2002, Rose finally cracked the winner’s circle, winning the Dunhill Championship in South Africa. Over the next two decades, Rose would go on to win 25 professional tournaments, including the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion (his first and still only major championship).

Rose’s precision ball striking, deft short game, and mental strength have made him a contender on the most difficult of courses throughout his career. Among his wins are the Memorial at Muirfield Village in Ohio and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as well as a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He’s also been a member of six Ryder Cup squads, including four winning teams.

And despite all his success over the years, Rose found himself in the rare position of needing to qualify for the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club.

Final Qualifying is a grueling test of golf contested over 36 holes in a single day. Players need to navigate rising stars in the game, savvy veterans, and former superstars of the game, all to land one of usually a very small number of spots into the championship. With rounds of 66 and 68 at the Burnham & Berrow qualifying site, Rose finished in a tie for first and earned his spot in the Open Championship, his 22nd appearance in the game’s oldest major.

When Justin Rose tees it up on Thursday at Troon, perhaps he’ll think back to that moment at Royal Birkdale when a skinny kid from England set the golf world on notice. The ups and downs, highs and lows, tears and laughter – it’s all part of the game we love. Although golf is maddeningly unpredictable, there is one thing you can count on – Justin Rose will do it all with a smile and a Rosey wink, just like he’s been doing since that historic moment back in 1998.