Justin Rose has rolled back the years over the past 12-18 months, with some truly exceptional performances on the PGA Tour and in the Ryder Cup.
Rose won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August before playing a key role for the European team at the Ryder Cup six weeks later.
The Englishman triumphed yet again on the PGA Tour at the start of this season, two weeks ago at the Farmers Insurance Open.
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The 45-year-old is playing some of the best golf of his career right now
The 2013 US Open winner, now 45, strongly believes that some of his best golf is still yet to come.
Justin Rose will be looking to win at Pebble Beach for the second time in his career this week.
The new world number three is playing some seriously good golf right now and is unquestionably deserving of his high ranking.
However, what is the reason for the 45-year-old’s resurgence in form over the past year or so?
Justin Rose’s increased speed and distance has helped him compete
It’s no coincidence that Rose’s recent uptick in form has coincided with his increased clubhead swing, ball speed and extra distance off the tee.
He has averaged 308.7 yards off the tee this season, an increase of just under seven yards from 2025.
In 2024, Rose recorded an average driving distance of 297.5 yards while that was two yards less in the 2022-23 season.
In the 2015 season, Rose averaged 303 yards off the tee. So he seems to have gained five yards in distance now with his driver, despite being 10 years older.
That is quite extraordinary, given the fact that the vast majority of players lose distance as they get older.
So how has he been able to gain extra yardage off the tee?
Rose spoke to reporters ahead of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week, and responded when asked how he’s been able to increase his clubhead speed.
Justin Rose explains why he’s longer off the tee now than he was 10 years ago
Rose suggested that one small change he recently made may have made all the difference for him.
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“Yeah, I think I’ve started hitting the ball a little further the last maybe six months,“ the Englishman admitted.
“Not really sure why or how. Maybe it’s more of a technical thing, like a little shift in my grip, just slightly strengthened it.
“Was quite weird how the brain is like OK, going to move more positively through the ball from a rotational point of view. That seemed to make a difference.“
Although Rose didn’t mention it, he has clearly kept himself in tip-top condition physically.
It would not be possible for him to produce 180 mph ball speeds if he hadn’t done so.
Justin Rose should be a real inspiration to every single PGA Tour player who is on the wrong side of 40.
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