Brit Justin Rose has won a major title and was top points scorer as Europe won the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles last year, but admits the BMW PGA Championship remains one of the tournaments on his career “bucket list”.
– Different Strokes: Reed & McIlroy look through contrasting Periscopes
– #360business: McIlroy’s DDF Irish Open sponsorship role
– BOOK: Golf courses and holidays on www.sport360.com
Rose, who attended the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth as a teenage spectator, lost a play-off to Anders Hansen in 2007 and was joint second in 2012, and comes into the week having finished second in the Masters last month and then winning the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
“Obviously, growing up so close to here, this tournament is even more special to me than it should be,” the former US Open champion said on Wednesday.
Great day at the @BMWPGA with @JustinRose99 @KP24 and Jamie Redknapp. I was nervous at first. How about you lads? pic.twitter.com/ut8g5quQF4
— Glenn Hoddle (@GlennHoddle) May 20, 2015
“This would be very special for me to win. Call it a bucket list tournament. Outside of the major championships, I can’t think of a tournament I’d like to win more than this one.
“It’s obviously a huge event and it has a local feel for me, with the inspiration I got coming to watch this tournament, from about the age of eight. I’ve been coming out here and watching the great players and being inspired to go back to my home course and practice.
“I remember coming out and watching until probably 6pm and going home, practicing, trying to emulate what I saw that day. One shot I specifically remember was Jose Maria Olazabal chipping in from the front of the 11th green.
“I remember being halfway up the fairway, watching him at the top of the hill and watching him chip in. I was with a friend of mine, he called the shot and I said, ‘He won’t chip-in, no way,’ and boom, in he chipped.”
The West Course at Wentworth is not everyone’s favourite, especially since the controversial re-design by Ernie Els in 2009, but Rose is a fan.
He added: “When you stand on every tee box you see what you don’t want to do. There’s bunkers everywhere and strategy off the tee is very, very important.
“You can’t play this golf course from the bunkers, so that means being conservative in some areas and in other areas, flying a bunker and accepting being in the rough if that’s the case. It makes it a ball-striking test and if the wind starts to swirl, that can become very difficult.”
