The hoodoo 'is broken': Justin Rose hopes US Open victory can inspire fellow Englishmen to Major success

Rose became the first Enlish winner of a Major for 17 years

Kevin Garside
Monday 17 June 2013 19:57 BST
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Just Rose with the US Open trophy and 15 years ago as a 17-year-old at Royal Birkdale
Just Rose with the US Open trophy and 15 years ago as a 17-year-old at Royal Birkdale

After smashing the English hoodoo with his US Open win, Justin Rose hopes it won't be another 17 years before an Englishmen follows him across the major championship threshold.

While Britain has prospered in the shape of Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, and Ireland through Padraig Harrington, England has not produced a major champion since Sir Nick Faldo at the Masters in 1996.

Luke Donald, who played alongside Rose in the penultimate group at Merion before finishing in a tie for eighth, and Lee Westwood have both risen to no.1 in the world rankings in the past two years without converting that talent into major success.

Now Rose wants his epic triumph to act as motivation for them. "There's been a very strong crop of English players for quite some time now, with myself, Westwood and then Ian Poulter as well. Paul Casey was up there for a good while and is probably going to make a comeback, I think.

"I really hope it does inspire them. I think it was always going to be matter of time before one of us broke through. It was just a question of who? I hope this has broken the spell and guys can continue to match up for themselves."

Rose is straight back at it in the Travelers Championship this week and at the AT&T National next week before returning home to prepare for the Open at Muirfield. "Winning makes you hungry to do it again because it just feels so darn good," he said.

"It reminds you about why you practice so hard and why you play the game. It's not necessarily the trophy that feels so great, it's knowing that you've answered the doubts in your own head, you've answered the questions, you've taken on the challenge and you've risen to it."

JUSTIN ROSE - WHERE IT ALL BEGAN...

For most English golf fans, Rose came to prominence back in 1998 at the Open at Royal Birkdale. The then 17-year-old amateur holed a dramatic shot from the rough from about 50 yards for birdie on the 18th and a tie for fourth. While tipped for success at the very top, few expected it would be him, 15 years later, that would break the hoodoo...

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