Former world no.1 and Ryder Cup legend Justin Rose you only talk Golf News about the decision he and his wife Kate made to support a series of events aimed at professional women in the UK.
That is known as the Rose Ladies Series, and why they continue to strive to create competitive opportunities for women golfers through that series and the Rose Ladies Open, its third edition which will take place at Brocket Hall next month and is missed. Royal Troon in the Open.
The Rose Ladies Series was clearly a significant boost for British women golfers when it launched in 2020. I think it was Liz Young who started the ball rolling, but what motivated you and your wife, Kate, to pursue this venture?
It was then that we heard about Liz Young's idea to hang out at her club when it was closed that Kate picked up the phone from Liz to ask what we could do to help.
This was our original motivation for starting iSeries, to give female players an opportunity to play competitively in a time of violence.
The fact that I was able to play a full program again only a month after being out, but this was not the same for the Ladies seemed wrong.
To be honest, we initially saw it as a 'stop gap', something to help women and try to balance things out at that time.
From then on, it became clear that there was a real difference between the men's and women's Tours and the series went some way to closing the gap.
I think it would have been easy to withdraw from it once things got back to normal, but continue to support the series under the new format of the first season. How important is it to continue to provide young and emerging female professionals with those competitive opportunities?
We will continue the Rose Ladies series as long as it is needed, we update it every year and we have continued it because of the feedback we get each year.
The players really appreciate the opportunity to play a shortened Series at the beginning of the Season; the timing works well because it is compatible with the LETAS and LET programs.
They enjoy having competitive events on home soil; a chance to play courses they may not have access to and a chance to compete for the largest prize pool available for a one-day event (regardless of gender).
For many players, the Series plays the role of preparation before the season starts in earnest and gives them a chance to play competitively.
Most players are LETAS beginners, or regular Tour players who want to gauge where their game is before the season to help with training and preparation.
We also offer invitations to several of the country's leading professionals through our partnership with the R&A and England Golf, and offer all 12 of our junior athletes from the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship to play in events for experience. , development and gaming opportunities.
Along with the opportunity to play competitively, RLS gives players the opportunity to be seen and get the exposure they deserve, which is one of our key goals in raising awareness and supporting the women's game.
What is the Rose Ladies Series' relationship with LET's Access series and what is your long-term commitment to supporting the series?
We created the Rose Ladies Open to give professional women a tournament in the UK, so there is another opportunity to play competitively; opportunities to be seen and receive the exposure they deserve.
At first many people were confused and thought that the Rose Ladies Open was the Grand Final of the Rose Ladies Serie because of the way it was originally structured.
However, the Rose Ladies Open is a completely separate event from the Series, a three-day tournament that includes a pro-am, and is an independent LETAS event.
The Rose Ladies Open has helped us provide a real pathway to the Ladies European Tour – our 2023 champion Chiara Tamburlini proves this – she made a great start to her first LET season with a win at the Joburg Ladies Open in April.
What made you choose Brocket Hall as the venue for the Rose Ladies Open? Is there something specific about the course or the setting at the club that makes it a great tournament venue?
Brocket Hall has been the venue for the tournament for the last two years and we are returning again in 2024, the course has proved a fair test for the players year after year and is in good shape at the moment, we look forward to seeing how the players get on. September.
Will you host training clinics and present the trophy like in previous years?
I'll also be holding a golf clinic for competitors from the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship and some of the local Girl Guides, we had a lot of fun and a great turnout last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing all the juniors. again this year.
Kate and I will both be there on the last day. We enjoy meeting the players, having a chance to talk to them and get feedback.
We also love to be there when we finish congratulating the champions and giving them the trophy.
For a change, it was good to see Tommy Fleetwood challenge for a gold medal in Paris, eventually coming away with a silver medal. Looking back at 2016 in Rio, where does winning your gold medal rank among your career achievements?
Winning gold in Rio in 2016 was a great experience. The medal sits next to the US Open trophy in my cabinet.
It was nice to be exposed to a bigger audience and feel like you're representing something bigger than yourself, like the Ryder Cup.
It was great to sing on Sunday and see Tommy come so close; you could see what it meant to him. I really appreciate those feelings.
You are very close to adding a second major title to your CV at The Open at Troon. Obviously it was hard to get Xander Schauffele, but how do you look back on your performance that week?
That Open week proved that I can still compete with the best players in the world. The situations were not easy at times, and you had to go to the next level to control and persevere in them, and I am very happy with the way I handled that.
I feel like I left everything out there, but Xander played unbelievable golf on Sunday and deserved to win.
It gave me something to build on for the FedEx Play-offs, the rest of the DP World Tour season, and the 2025 season. A T2 finish puts me in all four Majors next year, so I can lock in those weeks to try and go one better than The Open this year.
Considering you were ranked 66th in the world, I'm sure a lot of people were surprised that you should have entered the Open. How important was it to keep your Open appearance schedule going, and how relieved are you that you won't have to deal with all of that again next year?
Obviously, qualifying for the Open wasn't the best way to get into the Open, but it was a no-brainer for me to try to qualify that way.
It was nice to go back to Burnham and Berrow, where I won the Carris Trophy in 1995, so it was a tough trip for me.
But it was more than just qualifying for The Open; it was about giving yourself a chance to win it.
It reminded me not to take these big tournaments for granted, and I'll keep that in mind as I head into The Open and other Majors next year for sure.
This was your 21stSt Open Championship. In all the Majors, the statistics show that it has been less successful for you in terms of results, with two runners-up and two other top 10s. Do you feel that the Open was the toughest of the four Majors for you, and if so, what do you put that down to?
Look, it's hard to say. I love the Open; My favorite Major, he's the one I really want to win. I think I proved myself at Troon that I have the ability to win it.
The Open tends to have the toughest conditions of all four Majors, and those who handle the conditions better often find themselves in contention.
I think Saturday's round was important for me in that sense. The conditions weren't too bad all week, but I was able to grind hard and keep moving forward in the competition, while others let the conditions get better and fell out of contention.
So, I will move forward to try to go one better next year.
Ultimately, it seems that the freshmen players coming out of the gate, especially through the US college system, are ready to win major tour events these days. If you were given your chance again, is that something you would consider, or was it always a plan to give college a miss and jump straight into the pro game?
The US college system is unbelievable; it churns out world-class talent with ease. People like Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and, more recently, Ludwig Aberg, all came out of college ready to compete not only on the PGA and LPGA tours, but also in the Majors and Ryder Cups.
I also think the women's game benefits greatly from the college system. Someone like Rose Zhang was a professional before she made her professional debut; then he won his first event on the tour, represented Team USA at the Solheim Cup, and now at the Olympics.
I think it's something that all young golfers should consider. Colleges have great coaches and facilities that really elevate the game of young golfers and help them become top professionals.
Rose Ladies Open @ Brocket Hall, September 6-8
This year's Rose Ladies Open has attracted a full field of 108 players from across the UK and Europe to take to Melbourne Courne over three days from September 6-8.
Justin and Kate Rose will present the trophy to the winner on Sunday afternoon after the match.
For more information on the LET Access' Rose Ladies Open series and to register tickets are free to attend any of the tournament rounds, and for details of a large number of hospitality packages, please visit roseladiesopen.co.uk.
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