Three words Justin Rose would never have uttered four years ago. But living in Lake Nona, Florida and playing mostly on the PGA Tour, is clearly having a profound American impact on his vocabulary. “England is still home,” he laughs in his defence. “But I have a new life in America and I love it. I didn’t even realise I missed England until I flew home and went out for a beer with my mates.”
We meet for a latte in an Italian café near his apartment in Putney. Rose turns up wearing a grey hoodie, jeans, sneakers and a brown leather jacket. It is fair to say that, without his golf cap, tour bag and caddie, even golf fans would struggle to recognise him. Which is just how Rose likes it. “The ego of being a superstar doesn’t appeal to me at all,” he says. As we become increasingly surrounded by Ladies Who Lunch, Rose’s anonymity is guaranteed. It is a snapshot of normal life, and one which the 27-year-old can still enjoy despite being a multi-millionaire sports star, Europe’s No.1 golfer and now a top-10 player in the world.
Victory in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama last November to clinch his first European Order of Merit title was an essential happy ending to a year that has once again thrust him into the spotlight. The Team Rose photograph with the trophy in Spain was recognition of the support he calls upon to allow him to succeed on the golf course. So, hats off, then, towife Kate,managerMarcusDay and coach Nick Bradley.Missing fromthe lineup was caddie Mick Doran, who has previously worked with Lee Westwood, David Howell and Costantino Rocca.
But it is Rose’s relationship with Bradley, a former colleague of David Leadbetter, Rose’s previous coach, that has proved most influential in his rapid rise up the world rankings and, Bradley reveals, there is more to come from Rose in 2008. “The next level for Justin is what I call The Introspective Plan,” Bradley explains.
“The better you get at your profession, whether you are a pilot or a surgeon or a sportsman, introspection is where the next level comes from. Look at Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Nick Faldo. There is no question they spoke to themselves and had a strong image of themselves that resonated through their golf. And it’s the same with Tiger Woods now.
“To get to the top in any business, you have to be a bit of a hard-nosed bastard. It will certainly be one of my goals to get Justin to pay rather less attention to his peers and to become a little more introverted. I think he will become more insular but he is still a lovely guy and is never going to lose his open and honest character. But his game-face is going to get more steely in 2008.”
So, no more Mr Nice Guy, then. But, then again, nice guys do still win – as Padraig Harrington proved last July at Carnoustie.