Rose continues FedExCup title defense at Desert Classic
Justin Rose comments before Desert Classic
Prior to the 2019 Desert Classic, Justin Rose talks about remaining number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings and course strategy.
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Justin Rose didn’t have a millimeter to spare.
The FedExCup was a perfect fit for his trophy case.
“I kind of slid it into the box in which it sits and it scraped the edges on either side,” Rose said. “It was made to measure. I found a good home for it.”
Rose’s defense of the TOUR’s season-long title resumes Thursday with his first event of the calendar year, the Desert Classic. He decided to play in the California desert for the first time since 2010 so that he could extend his year-end holiday after a prosperous season.
“My original plan was to play (the Sentry Tournament of Champions) and keep the momentum going and then maybe take a break in February, but it just came around too quick,” he said in Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference. “I felt like the extra couple weeks at home, getting in a little bit of new equipment, I just didn’t feel ready to leave on the 28th of December.”
Rose’s 2018 campaign didn’t end until Dec. 16, when he played the final round of the Indonesian Masters. Then it was off to Finland for a family vacation before heading to London. He’s spent the past few weeks hitting balls to get used to his new Honma equipment.
“There’s been very little time on the golf course, to be honest with you,” he said. “That’s why I’m looking forward to this week and really getting out there. The swing feels good, I’m moving well, hitting the ball well, but now it’s … getting tournament sharp again.”
Rose’s FedExCup defense actually began at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in October. He finished third to continue the incredible consistency that he showed last season.
The HSBC was his seventh top-three finish in his last 19 TOUR starts. He has 12 top-10s in that span.
With the 200 points he earned in Shanghai, Rose is 40th in this season’s FedExCup standings. He is trying to become the first person to successfully defend the FedExCup and join Tiger Woods as the only multiple winners.
Rose isn’t just the reigning FedExCup champion. He also sits atop the Official World Golf Ranking. He’s the first world No. 1 to play the Desert Classic, according to Golf Channel researcher Justin Ray.
A large improvement in putting was the key to last season’s success. He gained two more strokes per tournament on the greens last season, a sizable jump for a player whom Jon Rahm called “arguably one of the best ball-strikers in the world, if not the best.”
Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, ranked in the top 25 in every Strokes Gained category in 2018. He was one of just five players who ranked in the top 20 in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Approach-the-Green. He jumped more than 100 spots in the Strokes Gained: Putting standings, from 123rd to 21st.
“You have to keep looking forward,” Rose said. “You have to keep trying to improve.”
Short-irons are his focus right now.
“Iron play has always been a strength of mine but I felt like I can actually get a lot better at it,” he said. “My mid- to long-iron play is really good. I would say the scoring clubs really are what I feel I could improve on this year.”
He ranked 111th in proximity from 100-125 yards last season, but was 31st from 125-150 yards and 29th from 150-175.
He’ll have plenty of chances to work on that aspect of his game this week. Low scores are the norm at the Desert Classic.
This is Rose’s fifth appearance in La Quinta, but his first since missing the cut in 2010. He has two top-10s at this event, including a third-place finish in 2007. He started the final round with a share of the lead, but shot 76 on a windy Sunday at the Classic Club to finish one back of Charley Hoffman. Wind gusts reached 40 mph that day, and the 74.8 scoring average remains the highest in tournament history. The Classic Club was removed from the Desert Classic’s rotation after 2008.
La Quinta Country Club, where Rose will play Thursday’s first round, is the only course in this year’s rotation that he has played. He’s 18 under par in four rounds at La Quinta (68-70-65-67), including two bogey-free rounds. La Quinta was the easiest course on TOUR last year, playing to a 68.8 scoring average.
A good start to the year could help Rose make history when the FedExCup is handed out in August.
“Everyone is striving for it. It’s a big deal on TOUR,” he said. “It’s the cherry on top of a great season.”
