The phrase “turning back the clock” is a very backhanded compliment. On the one hand, this is commendable and suggests that the player is returning to his best potential. On the other side, however, this is insulting in a way, as if to suggest that athletes are no longer able to consistently perform at such a level, and that moments of such performance are fleeting and should be cherished.
There were some sickening voices in the sports world this weekend. Turn the clock back, turn the clock back, turn the clock back. You might have thought it was the end of daylight saving time. In fact, Justin Rose and the Australian Open for tennis were the Farmers Insurance Open for golf and the Australian Open for tennis. Novak Djokoviceach gave a vintage performance.
In terms of golf, Rose became the oldest winner in Farmers Insurance Open history (45 years old) this weekend. He won by seven strokes and led from start to finish, setting tournament scoring records at the 36-hole, 54-hole and 72-hole marks. The win was his second in his last five appearances on the PGA Tour dating back to last season.
When asked about the best golf moments of his career, Rose looked back through several different windows. Based on statistics 2017-2018, world number 1 won this tournament for the first time in 2021, last year’s Masters and Ryder Cup based on performance in specific rounds.
After offseason preparation, Scottie Scheffler is ready to erase any deep-seated doubts about his superiority.
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Rose answered questions about his past, but he didn’t hesitate to realize that the answers might still lie in his future.
“I don’t think I can try any harder. I think you just have to be patient with yourself after a not-so-good week and understand that it’s still going on,” Rose said. “I’m pretty good at preparing myself for a week where I want to play well, and I think you need that kind of experience to do that.
“And obviously, yeah, listen, I want to find a way to play well every week, but if I can find a way to focus on the weeks where I want to play really well, that’s enough to chase some of the goals I have left in my career.”
His performance at Torrey Pines showed many things to be true. The win moved him to third place in the Official World Golf Rankings, behind the aforementioned Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. The latter thwarted his latest attempt to don the green jacket in April last year, but Schauffele, then world No. 2, has done the same in lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Troon until the end of 2024.
Rose still holds on to his childhood dream of winning all four major tournaments, even though he only won the U.S. Open more than a decade ago. Then came Rising Sun, where he was believed to be at his peak, but then came the 2016 Olympic gold medal, and then the burst of quality he mentioned.
His peers at the time included Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Tiger Woods, who along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were rivals to Jovokic, but are now mostly on the sidelines.
While his counterparts and competitors come and go in the revolving door of professional golf, Rose is not one of them.
He remained diligent in his combat preparations. He is surrounded by a team that will squeeze everything out of his game, body and mind to get the most out of his high-end play. The roses bloomed, but roses of the same age wilted. In doing so, he proved that he did more than just turn the clock’s hands back every once in a while, he also showed the current time.
