With 35-year-old Rory McIlroy the oldest player inside the current top 10 in the world golf rankings, it does appear that many are peaking a lot earlier in their careers.
The players who won the four majors in 2024 were 30 or younger when they won this year. So it does seem that the stereotype concerning the average tour professional is no longer accurate. But there are a few players who continue to play at an incredibly high level later on in their careers.
One of those is Justin Rose, with the 44-year-old winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2023. Rose, of course, really announced himself on the scene at the 1998 Open Championship when he finished in a tie for fourth as an amateur.
More than 25 years later, Rose continues to hold his own. He returned to the Ryder Cup team in 2023, proving to be a perfect partner for Robert MacIntyre in Rome.
And anyone who has watched Rose in recent years will know that he has a particular move he does before he hits any shot from tee to green. The 2013 US Open champion will imitate the start of his downswing, while almost squatting as he is trying to get down to the ball.
Justin Rose explains swing drill he’s become known for
And speaking to Golf Digest, Rose has now explained exactly why he uses the move.
“It’s what I’m almost known for out on tour. When people watch me play, they’re like why do you that exaggerated pump drill, well, this is why,” he said.
“I take the club to the top and I feel like I stay forward-bent, meaning I’m tipping over. I feel like I’m keeping my chest closed, which means I’m not rotating too early. And I feel my left arm is falling down on my chest as well. So that’s getting my hands to feel like they’re very much towards my right pocket.
“Now, that’s the feel that I need to create. But as soon as I bring in rotation, remember we talked about rotation wanting to throw the arms off of the chest, this is my feel but as soon as I add in that left turn, it puts me in this position. So I’m simulating what I want to feel, minus the rotation that I’m going to have to hit the ball in that direction.”
How Rose performed in 2024
Rose is obviously coming towards the end of his career at the very highest level. However, he is clearly far from being done.
He finished in the top 10 at both The Masters and The Open this past season, with Xander Schauffele the only player to finish above him at Royal Troon.
Meanwhile, he remains in the top 50 in the world. And he will certainly have his sights on making Luke Donald‘s Ryder Cup team for Bethpage in 2025.
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