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September 20, 2011

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Rose finally comes up tops with career-defining victory

SINCE bursting onto the golf scene as a teenage prodigy 13 years ago, Justin Rose has never managed to seize a career-defining victory.

Now a 31-year-old journeyman, the Englishman claimed his biggest win with a gritty two-shot victory over Australian John Senden at the BMW Championship in Lemont, Illinois, on Sunday that may well go down as the most important of his career.

Not only did Rose's third career PGA Tour title earn him US$1.4 million, it also clinched him a spot in the Tour Championship in Atlanta where an elite field of 30 will battle for the US$10 million bonus that goes to the FedExCup points leader.

"The manner in which I won this tournament, it rates as high as the best tournament I've ever won, just by going wire-to-wire," Rose said. "I think mentally this is the best I've ever been in terms of being very under control with my emotions, being very calm, being very aware of the situation and feeling comfortable with it.

"I may have had better ball striking weeks as a whole but I think this week as a competitor and as a professional, I think it was probably my best ever performance."

Rose turned professional at age 18 the day after finishing fourth as an amateur at the 1998 British Open. By any measure, it has been a career filled with great promise but much of it has gone unrealized. He famously missed 21 consecutive cuts after turning professional but kept plugging away and eventually earned his first title at the Dunhill Championships on the European Tour in 2002.

Arriving at the Cog Hill Golf Club saying it was do-or-die, the daring manner of Rose's wire-to-wire win could also add some flare and confidence to his career.

"Sometimes when you're not playing well with this game, playing well seems a mile away," said Rose. "It's such an important lesson to learn looking back with the benefit of hindsight now that knowing the next time you're in that situation it's just a day away or a round away. That's the great thing about this game is it always tests us and it always keeps sort of dangling a carrot and making it tough."

 

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