Why a 2013 Major Winner Has Been Able to Combat Father Time
An ever-present factor in professional sports is age, particularly declining production with increasing age. However, Justin Rose refuses to lose his battle with Father Time. His most recent win at this year’s Farmers Insurance Open is a flashing indicator of his resilience. Rose has also remained inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of every season since 2002.
Why has Justin Rose been on top of his game for so long? One of the answers to this question is a consistent and rigorous yearly schedule. Since becoming a professional golfer after a top-four finish at the 1998 Open Championship, Rose has played in a variety of tournaments across various tours. The diversity of events and tours keeps Rose in form and allows him to have a relatively good feel for his game. Good feel and a consistent game enabled Rose to notch at least one professional victory for 10 straight years, beginning in 2010. During that stretch, he won his only major to date, the 2013 United States Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and rose to the best in the world in 2018.
After hitting a stride, some professional golfers struggle to keep up their high-level production. For example, Mito Pereira earned a “battlefield promotion” from the Korn Ferry Tour during the 2020-21 season, which is granted to a player if they can win three times in one season. Pereira was granted a full PGA Tour membership for the next season, but was unable to continue his success on the big stage. The young Chilean showed flashes, but eventually lost his fight with Father Time, retiring at the age of 30.
Pereira’s search for consistency pained him as he longed for an identity after his early Korn Ferry Tour success. Rose is on the opposite end of this spectrum as his caddie, Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher, has been one of the foundational pieces in his sustained professional tenure. The two have been together from 2008 to 2019 and resumed their on-course relationship around the 2023 Ryder Cup; they have been together since. “We have had so many special moments on the golf course and, if I was to dream to have more special moments, Fooch is the one I want to sort of share them with, as well,” said Rose prior to last year’s Open Championship. “Our sort of secret sauce is that we seem to be really good when it matters most.”
Fulcher’s and Rose’s “secret sauce” was on display at Torrey Pines Golf Course this past weekend as Rose commandeered his 13th PGA Tour win. At 45 years of age, Rose became the oldest winner of the Farmers Insurance Open, raising many eyebrows across the golfing world. Furthermore, a deeper dive into the preparation the 2013 US Open winner performs provides a method to the madness. Rose utilizes a “recovery RV” while on the road and completes a preseason boot camp with his team before his playing calendar begins, among other things. “I don’t think I can work much harder,” explained Rose in his post-Farmers Insurance Open press conference. “I need to just know I am pretty good at sort of gearing up for the weeks I want to play well.” Justin Rose’s wire-to-wire victory at Torrey Pines has further cemented him as one of the few golfers who are still near the top despite their increasing years. As his 2026 season ramps up, he will lean on the things that have kept him striving for more: his caddie, his preparation, and the deep knowledge of his own game.
