Justin Rose is delighted to be back experiencing everything that Sun City has to offer on his return to the Nedbank Golf Challenge for the first time in ten years.
The Major Champion and former World Number One is enjoying somewhat of a homecoming this week as the Englishman returns to the country of his birth for the 41st edition of ‘Africa’s Major’.
Rose won his first professional event at the Dunhill Championship in 2002 and is excited to be back on familiar ground as he goes in search of a 12th DP World Tour title this week.
“I cannot believe it’s been ten years. Time does fly but coming back here, everything does feel so familiar still,” he said.
“It’s a very iconic, special place. I was obviously born in South Africa so it’s a country with something special for me. It hits a little different. It’s a magical spot and I’m just thoroughly enjoying it.”
For a country renowned for its wildlife spotting, Rose was quick to take up the opportunity to go on a safari on Wednesday to the Pilanesburg National Park, adjacent to the Sun City resort.
“There are so many ways to get your mind off the golf here, some a bit more wholesome than others,” he added.
“There’s a lot of fun to be had here, you can get yourself in a bit of trouble there maybe. This morning we were able to go on a game drive.
“We were up early, five o’clock we were out there, in nature, and it was just something special.
“Things we were able to see in two and a half hours really hit home how special Pilanesburg National Park is and Sun City being right on the border of it, it’s really a place like no other.”
Rose, who has the support of his brother Brandon on site later this week, finished in a tie for seventh on his last outing at Sun City in 2013 – six years after he missed out by one shot to home favourite Trevor Immelman.
“2007 is the one that got away for me,” he said. “I was leading playing the last hole and it slipped through my fingers but it’s a golf course that I think I have played well on in the past.
“The way I’m driving the ball and hitting my tee shots, I’ve been hitting the ball well off the tees and that’s what you’ve got to do around here, so hopefully that will continue I can piece together four good rounds.”
The penultimate event of the 2023 season features a stellar 66-player field, with Rose expecting a stern challenge on one of the longest courses in both South Africa and on the DP World Tour at just over 7,800 yards.
While tournament invite Rose is unable to earn points on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex this week due to being outside the leading available top 60 players, he is eager to put together a good performance in the final event of his DP World Tour campaign.
“We all like the golf course, it plays really well,” he said. “It’s quite a tough golf course, offers good shot making, so I think we all feel like we’re here to play golf and the test in front of us is Championship worthy.
“We’re coming to the end of the season and it’s the perfect place to come and visit.
"There’s a lot riding on the golf obviously, coming to the real business end of things on the DP World Tour but at the same time, everyone’s had a long year and you can find a couple of hours to yourself here where you can really recharge your batteries, which is great.”
