Rose: “I’m more concerned if I was on LIV right now than on PGA Tour”

Fatiha Betscher
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Justin Rose victorious at Pebble Beach (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Fatiha Betscher

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Justin Rose, like his RBC Canadian Open first two rounds playing partner Rory McIlroy, remainded fully loyal to the PGA Tour over the tumultuous past 12 months.

Of course, McIlroy has been clearly more outspoken than his fellow European though taking nothing away from Rose’s determination, as now one of the more senior players on the PGA Tour, produced a very ‘I remain loyal to the PGA Tour’ display when the 42-year-old earlier this year captured the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The win was Rose’s 25th worldwide victory toast, a first anywhere in some four years and I guess you could argue, his win along the shores of the Pacific was a kind of a reward for that loyalty.

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But then like McIlroy, it came as a huge shock to Rose in learning via twitter, like the rest of the world, that golf’s three warring parties had come together choosing to end the conflict that has rocked men’s professional golf to the very foundations of the ancient game.

“I mean, the news was definitely left field,” said Rose after posting a three-under 69 and two shots fewer than McIlroy.

“It was like one of those wondering if it was a prank for the first five minutes or so, you know. I’m very happy with what I’m doing. I feel like my game is trending where I want it to be. I feel like it’s been important for me to challenge myself against the best players in order to try to rekindle the form that I know I’m capable of.

“Obviously playing major championship golf was always the thing I could never give up. So I was kind of always very content.

“Yeah, the news, the headlines seems like it’s just going to be this very smooth transition and come on back, boys, it’s all done now. I don’t think that’s the case. I still think I’m happy where I am. I’d probably be more concerned if I was on LIV right now than on the PGA Tour”.

What Rose specifically meant by that last sentence we don’t know as he was then asked a question from the assembled media that concerned his Pebble Beach in February, thus ending a four-year and one week worldwide winless drought.

You could have a guess though that Rose may have been responding to LIV Golf’s Greg Norman comments following news of a merger: “We changed history and we’re not going anywhere”.

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