Justin Rose feels he is “back in the present” after a whirlwind two months following his maiden Major win in the US Open Championship.
The Englishman admits he was distracted by post-victory activities in the wake of his triumph at Merion Golf Club, but having put the finishing touches to his preparation for this week’s US PGA Championship, he is confident he can reproduce his best form for the final Major of the season,
“I feel like I'm back to normal and back to being disciplined,” said the 33 year old. “I feel like I'm back to being really in the present and motivated for the rest of the year.
“You keep trying to kid yourself that you're always in good shape obviously, but now two months removed from it, I could see maybe at The Open Championship I wasn't 100 percent ready to play, as I would’ve like to have been.
“I did my best to enjoy being a Major Champion for the first month or so. The back slapping you get from everybody is obviously very nice, but it can also in some ways prevent you from staying fully focused on what's ahead.
“I've been travelling with the trophy for four or five weeks, but now it’s back home where it should be. I can reflect on it in quiet moments, but it's time to move forward.”
The last 23 Major Championships have been won by 20 different players – a statistic that indicates the current strength in depth of golf – and although Rose wants to buck that trend by adding to his tally, he believes he is better off focusing on his performances as opposed to chasing titles.
“At this point in our careers we need to have our heads down, play as hard as you can, amass as much success as you can,” he said. “I feel still very driven by the process of getting better as a golfer and as a player and a competitor, rather than what other trophies I can go on to win.
“I feel like if I can get better as a player, those trophies are going to get in my way rather than me going ahead and chasing more.”
Rose also feels his US Open victory has left him better equipped to dealing with Major pressures, adding: “You understand what it takes, and I think you understand what a long week a Major is and what you have to deal with and how much you have to soak up, how much pressure you have to absorb - or deflect is probably a better word. There's no point getting ahead of yourself.
“In the past I've led tournaments after Thursday and Friday and have allowed myself to get too far ahead. Over the years, you realise how much golf there is to be played.
“On the flipside of that, if you don't get off to a good start – like at Merion when I was four over through 11 – I didn't panic; I just kept plugging away. Obviously a run happened for me and I ended up at the top of the leaderboard.
“Just having that experience now, if I put myself in similar positions – good and bad – this week or going forward, at least I know how to react to them.”
