Sean Harrison - Editor/Publisher - golfswingimage@yahoo.com

At the event founded by Jack Nicklaus (The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, Ohio) Justin Rose played some of the best golf I have seen him play to become the first English player to lift one of the most coveted trophies in world golf. With a final round of 66 he beat a world class field by 3 shots.

With his wife Kate and son Leo at the 18th green the celebrations said it all and to have Jack Nicklaus there to congratulate him must have made it all the more exhilarating. His grin was as wide as on the day I watched one of his first victories at one of Britain’s amateur events, The Hampshire Hog at North Hants Golf Club in 1995 aged 14.

Justin has now won on five different continents - all before his 30th birthday this month. He switched to swing coach Sean Foley in the middle of last year - a tough decision made only by a player with a winners appetite. There are reminders here of Sir Nick Faldo in the manner in which Justin has dismantled his swing in his late twenties. Sir Nick went on to win his first Major at the age of 30 and followed it with five more.

Justin became the third Englishman, after Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, to taste success on the PGA Tour this year. It brought a prize of just over $1 Million, but more importantly placed him back inside the top 50 of the Official World Rankings. The win also moved him from 27th to 8th place on the European Ryder Cup world points list. The first four places in the side will come from the world points list, with the next five automatic spots being decided by European Tour earnings.

With the Ryder Cup matches in Wales (October) getting closer we are all now looking forward to watching Europe, captained by Colin Montgomerie, take on the USA. For choosing his team at Gleneagles at the end of August, Montgomerie must be delighted to see all the English players doing so well in Europe and over on the US PGA Tour.

The English contingent, with four players now in the top ten of the World Rankings, seem to be spurring each other on. Recently there have been victories in Europe for Simon Khan at the BMW PGA Championship and Luke Donald at the Madrid Masters. Over on the US PGA Tour the week after Justin’s win Lee Westwood won the St Jude Classic following his 2nd place finish to Phil Mickelson at the Masters. Paul Casey and Ian Poulter went head to head in the final of the WGC Accenture Match Play. Also Brian Davis has recently finished runner up twice on the US Tour and in my opinion, like Rose, could win his first event on the US Tour soon.

SEAN HARRISON

Publisher/Editor