FedExCup party on hold for Justin Rose
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PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 26: Justin Rose of Europe during practice ahead of the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 26, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Immediate focus on Ryder Cup and defeating the Americans at Le Golf National in France
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GUYANCOURT, France – Newly minted FedExCup champion Justin Rose has put his celebrations on hold to concentrate on continuing home dominance for Europe in the Ryder Cup.
He’s hoping for a double celebration come Sunday.
Rose was rewarded for an extremely consistent 2017-18 PGA TOUR season last weekend at East Lake when his T4 result was enough to claim the FedExCup trophy.
His year included wins at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions and the Fort Worth Invitational and boasted 11 top-10s and 15 top-25s from his 18 starts.
Rose stood tall in the final three FedExCup Playoff events, finishing 2-2-4 and culminated with a clutch birdie on the 72nd hole Sunday to claim the $10 million bonus.
It’s a windfall his teammates have been reminding him of in jest.
“Apparently all the drinks are on my tab this week and all that type of stuff. We've been having fun with it, so I guess there is that element,” Rose said.
“The FedExCup for me, it finished on the plane. I enjoyed the plane ride over, but once I landed in Paris, I was one of 12 guys. I didn't want it to carry over into this week. This week is about another job to do.
“I can shelf the FedExCup for another week or so. I will certainly enjoy it. It's kind of a season-long (achievement) that you really want to enjoy. But I'd like to maybe start that party on Sunday night.”
While Rose obviously wanted to win the TOUR Championship claimed by Tiger Woods, the Englishman said the pressure of knowing what was needed to win the FedExCup – and actually executing it – puts him in a great frame of mind for his fifth Ryder Cup.
“It does a lot for my confidence. I've been playing consistently well. Obviously, I think that's ultimately the way I won the FedExCup was through my consistency season long, and that obviously does give you confidence coming into this week,” Rose said.
“Specifically, if I boil it down to just having to play that last hole to win, the feelings that I faced there are going to be very similar to the feelings I'm going to face this week in order to try and close out a point and win a point. So there will be moments I can draw upon that this week when trying to deliver for Team Europe.”