Rose hopes to turn English promise into major triumphs

England can take boast six players ranked in the world's top 20, but Justin Rose would much prefer it if that impressive ratio could be translated into major success. No Englishman has won a major title since Nick Faldo took the 1996 US Masters, although former European No 1 Lee Westwood has come agonisingly close in recent years.

"Major championships are the next level for the English players who have been playing very well," Rose said on the eve of this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. "As a group, we're very strong but it's who's going to rise up to that next challenge."

Rose has claimed two PGA Tour titles this year in just three starts to crown his most successful season on the US circuit. "The mindset I have right now is how good can I be as a player and what can I learn every single week going forward?" he said. "I don't want to put a ceiling on it but getting the monkey off my back at Memorial helped me achieve that mindset."

Rose won his first PGA Tour title at the Memorial tournament in June and then blew a three-stroke lead to crash out of the Travelers Championship in his next start before winning the AT&T National the following week.

"It was easier for me to accept what happened at the Travelers, having had a win under my belt," he said. "I lost a tournament, but I'm still improving as a player. I turned up at the AT&T on Monday morning a better player because of what I had just been through. That's what I was most excited about."

The next two weeks provide added incentive for Rose to return to winning ways. Firestone hosts the last of the season's three elite World Golf Championships events in the United States before the final major of the year, the US PGA Championship.