"It was a sucker punch" - Justin Rose reveals disappointing moment in 2021 after missing Ryder Cup despite being World No. 1
English golfer Justin Rose secured his 11th PGA Tour victory after winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California recently. The phenomenal win has put him in contention to make it to the Ryder Cup European team this year.
In 2021, Rose had been left out of the European team. The side had recorded a massive 19-9 loss to the US at Whistling Straits on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Rose felt that the exclusion from the Ryder Cup team was like a "sucker punch." He was world No. 1 at the time and was still not selected. Such a bad news is something that no player would feel good dealing with.
He spoke about it and described his emotions at the time:
"Missing out there was a little bit of a sucker punch. You come off a period of time when you are number one in the world and not far removed from it, but you can't get into the Ryder Cup team."
However, the incident was like a wake-up call for him.
"That was definitely a moment where you're like 'Well I know I'm not playing great but my peers know I'm not playing great'. That was kind of a wake-up call."
Justin Rose admitted that these feelings are good for his motivation.
"Those feelings aren't great but they are huge motivators as well."
"A non-negotiable from my point of view" - Justin Rose on not joining LIV Golf
One question that has not left the PGA Tour players alone is their opinion on the controversial LIV Golf series. Justin Rose recently admitted that at one point, he contemplated the decision of joining the Saudi-backed league. However, he didn't due to one non-negotiable point.
"There have been moments where it all sounds pretty good on paper. The concept itself has been around for seven years and there are elements where it sounds really, really cool."
However, LIV Golf not having world ranking points was the one point that drove him away from joining the league.
"The fact there was never a moment in time when all the top players could get behind it because there were too many unanswered questions, specifically around world ranking points, that was the major hurdle I faced with the decision."
The major tournaments are a big part of the golfing schedule each year. They are coveted events that each golfer wants to take part in and win. To participate in the majors, a player either has to have the required world rank or exemptions.
Since Justin Rose did not have any exemptions, the world ranking points were very important to him. He couldn't forgo them to join LIV Golf.
"I couldn't get away from the fact [that] I wanted to play major championship golf. I don't have exemptions down the line, so my clean way into the majors is maintaining a good world ranking. So that became a null and void, a non-negotiable from my point of view."
Presently, it seems like Rose is finally getting back in the groove as he won a PGA Tour event after four years. Fans would certainly be excited to see him back on the winning podium. Hopefully, he continues the great run and fans can see him in action at the 2023 Ryder Cup.