Advertisement

Rose gunning for historic hat-trick

golf06 November 2019 16:19| © Sunshine Tour
By:Lali Stander
Share
article image
Justin Rose © Gallo Images

The beautiful, warm Mediterranean is just a seven-iron away from the luxurious Royal Maxx Montgomerie golf course, where two-time Turkish Airlines Open champion Justin Rose will be gunning for a hat-trick this week.

The pre-tournament press conference with Rose was attended by a hoard of Turkish government types in suits, and masses of media.

A relaxed Rose is relishing the chance to join Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo and the late, great Seve Ballesteros as the only players to have won a European Tour event for three straight years.

“I think," Rose says, "the chance of a three-peat, so to speak, is something that sneaks up on you. It's one of those little asterisk moments in your career.

“Obviously now the third time, the pressure becomes probably a bit more, because it becomes a bit more than just the tournament itself.”

Twenty-five years ago there wasn't a single golf course on this 20 km stretch of coast and just five or six hotels. The transformation has been astonishing because the Royal Maxx is one of 60 five-star hotels and the Belek region, known as the Turkish Riviera, now boasts 15 world-class golf courses.

Rose finished third in his first Turkish Airlines Open appearance in 2013 and is excited to be back at the Maxx after winning the 2017 and 2018 editions at the Regnum Carya.

“It was disappointing to finish third, but here you’ve got to play the par 5s well,” he said. “They are all within reach. If you look at the guys that have won here – Victor Dubuisson and Brooks Koepka; they are guys that hit it pretty far. So that should play well into my wheelhouse.

“As always in Turkey, the weather is perfect, which generally leads to low scores. I'm driving the ball quite well at the moment, which is probably my highlight of the game right now along with my putting. If I can get my mid-irons going and maybe some 5-woods and long irons into the par 5s, and try to take advantage of them, that will set up some low scoring.”

Rose was born in Johannesburg, but went to live in England with his family at age five.

He now supports England when it comes to rugby – sorry for you Justin – but he is one of golf’s genuinely nice guys and so articulate. He has won only once this year, which he considers slightly disappointing and the biggest reason why the former world No 1 and current Olympic champion is back to challenge at the immaculate Royal Maxx Montgomerie course.

Rose is also eagerly looking ahead to 2020 as it's a particularly big year in golf for him – the Majors, the Ryder Cup, the FedEx Cup and defending at the Olympics in Japan.

“When you wear the crest or the logo of your national team it inspires you to be the best version of yourself. The emotion and the connection of being part of Team Great Britain in the Opening Ceremony was part of the reason I had the energy to play some of my best golf in Rio,” he said.

The Turkish Airlines Open – the third last event in the Rolex Series with a purse of $7-million (roughly R103-million) – tees off on Thursday but South Africans will not be following the former South African when there is a seven-strong challenge in Turkey with the South African flag on their golf bags, including George Coetzee, Justin Harding, Richard Sterne, Erik van Rooyen, Justin Walters, Zander Lombard and the young sensation Christiaan Bezuidenhout, with Major-winning caddie Zack Rasego on the bag this week.

Advertisement