Justin Rose Targets The Open At Royal Birkdale

The Englishman returns to Royal Birkdale this year and is targeting his first Claret Jug

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The Englishman returns to Royal Birkdale this year, 19 years on from his famous finish in 1998 to win the Silver Medal, and is targeting his first Claret Jug

Justin Rose Targets The Open At Royal Birkdale

The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale this year for the 10th time and Justin Rose is targeting his second major championship and first Claret Jug.

At the age of 17, Rose famously holed a wedge shot on the par-4 18th to finish in a tie for fourth as an amateur back in 1998 and win the Silver Medal. He turned pro the following day.

Related: Royal Birkdale Golf Club course review

The Englishman said, "The Open at Birkdale will be pretty special, you know '98 is where I finished fourth as an amateur.

Justin Rose after holing his third shot on the 18th at the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale.

"We're going back to Birkdale for the second time, so I think the second time is going to be easier."

Asked on what major he is targetting in 2017, the world number eight had no hesitations.

Related: Rose and Stenson pair up for new look Zurich Classic

"In 2008 it was all about 'remember Birkdale in 98', and now it's going to be 'okay guys it's water under the bridge lets just focus on the Open Championship 2017' so going back to Birkdale would probably be the one I'd choose."

Rose, who won the 2013 US Open and 2016 Olympic Gold Medal, came agonisingly close to winning the 2017 Masters, bogeying the 17th to tie Sergio Garcia before losing in a playoff.

He finished T9th in the 2008 Open at Birkdale but has never placed higher in the world's oldest major than in 1998. He was T6th in the 2015 Open at St Andrews.

Related: Justin Rose: What's in the bag?

Rose is looking to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1992 to win The Open Championship. No Englishman has ever won an Open at Royal Birkdale.

The 146th Open Championship takes place from 20th-23rd July where Henrik Stenson will defend the Claret Jug he won in fine fashion last year.

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV