Justin Rose will have one eye on the Official World Golf Ranking over the next few weeks as he attempts to finish the season as strongly as possible – starting with this week’s BMW Masters in Shanghai, China.
The US$7million tournament at Lake Malaren Golf Club is the first of The Race to Dubai’s Final Series, a lucrative four-tournament swing culminating in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Rose is set to play in three, so with a total of US$23.5million to play for – not to mention numerous world ranking points – it presents a golden opportunity to move up from his current position of World Number Six.
“I’m not sure I can catch (leader) Rory (McIlroy) in The Race to Dubai,” said the Englishman, who lies eighth in the money list. “But the Bonus Pool runs deep down to 15th and I want to strengthen my world ranking as much as possible.
“If I can play well and maybe win a couple of tournaments between now and the end of the season, I could probably get up to second in the world, which would be a personal best. So there’s always something to play for.”
Rose is making his first appearance on The European Tour since he was Europe’s leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup victory at Gleneagles, and on the eve of his return he took part in a challenge which involved racing a tandem bicycle with Paul McGinley, the man who captained Europe to glory at Gleneagles, against Ian Poulter and Wu Ashun in a BMW i8 car.
“I was hanging on for dear life,” Rose said of his debut on a tandem. “It was definitely something different. BMW do a fantastic job of hosting tournaments all around the world. They’ve got such a consistent brand and consistent way of delivering things, and the way they put together all the infrastructure and promotional stuff is incredible.
“They are an exciting company to work with and be a part of, and we golfers very much appreciate the support they give the Tour.”
Rose spent the first part of the week on the Chinese island of Hainan, opening a course he co-designed with his good friend and compatriot Poulter, who was fourth in this tournament two years ago.
“It’s always nice to come back to Asia and I’ve got a decent record here,” said Poulter. “I've played well on this golf course in the past, so I’m looking forward to getting going.
“I’ve been in China for five days, and opening the golf course with Justin was great fun. We had a little match play competition yesterday and he managed to beat me 3 and 2, so it would be nice if I can go one up on him this week.
“Golf in China has grown immensely, and more and more golf courses are being designed. The Chinese Golf Association have done a fantastic job with their programme. Every year we get to play more and more with Chinese players, and they are getting better and better. Long may it continue.”
