Heading into the FedEx Cup playoffs, few would have predicted that Justin Rose would become the second player to confirm his spot on the European team for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
Justin Rose appeared to be well placed to make his seventh Ryder Cup appearance this year. A second place finish at The Masters and a third at Pebble Beach were extremely positive signs early on in the season.
However, Rose missed the cut at the PGA Championship, the Canadian Open and the US Open. So it appeared that the 45-year-old may be relying on his past performances in the event to earn his place in New York.
That all changed this past week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
How Europe’s stars felt about Justin Rose featuring at the Ryder Cup
Rose may have been the outsider in the eyes of many heading into the final round at TPC Southwind. However, he managed to secure his 12th PGA Tour victory after a playoff with J.J. Spaun.
The result saw Rose confirm that he had automatically qualified for the European team. And it seems that many of his peers were delighted about his performance.
Speaking on the No Laying Up Podcast, Jamie Weir noted that Luke Donald was always going to make sure that Rose was involved one way or another. He also shared how the top European players felt about the 2013 US Open champion making the team before his win.
“As recently as two or three weeks ago I think Justin Rose was still a bit of a question mark, which is why Luke hasn’t named his final assistant captain up to this point. I think he was just trying to see what Justin Rose would do over the summer,” he said.
“Now he’s had a great summer, did great in Scotland, at The Open, and obviously has now just won as well, which has cemented his place on the team. He’s now qualified for the team, he doesn’t need a pick anymore.
“But I think that’s why he was giving himself a bit of time, because had Justin carried on in a similar vein than he did in May, June time, then he would’ve been an assistant captain.
“He’s going to be in the team. I know for a fact that a lot of the senior players wanted him on the team as a player. So that now answers one of the big questions Luke would’ve had.”
Justin Rose’s reliability will be crucial as Europe look to replicate Medinah miracle
Depth is going to be crucial for Europe. There are likely to be at least one or two players who simply do not perform in the cauldron that is Bethpage.
It is therefore imperative that Rose is one of those who does step up. He knows what it takes to win the Ryder Cup on American soil. He is also just outside the top 10 for the most points ever won by a European, with 15.5 across his career. So nothing should come as a surprise to him.
| Year | Justin Rose’s points won | Overall record |
| 2008 | 3 | 3-1-0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3-2-0 |
| 2014 | 4 | 3-0-2 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2-3-0 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2-2-0 |
| 2023 | 1.5 | 1-1-1 |
Rose played such an important role in Rome, helping Robert MacIntyre settle into the competition. The Scot grew and grew over his three rounds at Marco Simone. And Rose has to take so much credit for that.
There is a very real possibility that Europe will not have any rookies in their side next month. But Rose’s experience will still be vital.
He may not have the consistency he previously had in his career, but Rose proved in some style on Sunday that he can still compete with the very best on his day.
Clearly, Europe’s stars felt that their chances of victory at Bethpage would be greatly enhanced if Rose was teeing it up.
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