Justin Rose reveals his patience has been "tested" but he feels positive
Justin Rose says not competing at the top of the leaderboard has been difficult, but he feels "positive and motivated" about his game.
Justin Rose has revealed that his patience has been "tested" with his lack of form as of late, but he feels "positive and motivated" and turning 40 in July has helped him take more responsibility for his own game.
This week, Rose plays in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the European Tour's flagship event, in a field that also features the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Reed and Lee Westwood.
Rose hasn't played on home soil all year and has had a rather lacklustre year on the PGA Tour, that has seen him miss five cuts in his last seven starts.
The 2013 US Open champion admits that not competing with the best on a regular basis has been difficult, but turning 40 recently has given him the motivation to take his game into his own hands.
"Ultimately, the decision was, I turned 40 this year and maybe I was fully grown up and ready to do more by myself, and not have so much hand holding," Rose told the media ahead of the BMW PGA Championship.
"I still have Sean Foley (swing coach) around me, who I can consult with if I have a question. That's the way I treat it. If I have a question, go to someone and get the relevant answer, but to take a little bit more ownership myself.
"It hasn't worked out yet, but these things don't always happen immediately. The last couple of days have actually clicked into a couple days of what I call growth. There are some light-bulb moments and it's a blend of some of the new things I've learned along the way and some of the old blue prints under Sean.
"I feel like I'm piecing all that together and also body-wise, being able to drill it and groove it in. You always see results on the range before you see it on the golf course, but like I said earlier, I feel positive and motivated at the moment. I'm enjoying my golf and my practise, so you can only hope that does lead to good stuff eventually."
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The former World No.1 has now slipped the 23rd in the World Rankings, something that Rose has found frustrating, but he has taken positives from certain performances, such as this year's PGA Championship where he finished T9.
"Obviously patience-wise, it's been tested for sure," he added. "It's not fun not competing at the top end of the leaderboard. But I've seen a couple of spells that keeps you buoyant, so it's not all been doom and gloom. I competed decent at the PGA Championship, and was within two or three of being right there at the end.
"So there's enough good stuff to keep the belief, and I feel like I'm working on ultimately a bit of a bigger plan and prize at the end of it all, so I'm trying to think about what's going to move the move the needle in my career.
"Of course winning more regularly, everyone is going to do that but for me it's winning the right tournaments. We've got the Masters down the road, and we get two opportunities at that within the next six months."
