Justin Rose believes he is due a big result soon, and would dearly love for it to come at this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
The Englishman has had six top-25 finishes in seven US PGA Tour events this year without a victory, and now returns to home soil to compete in The European Tour’s Flagship Event at Wentworth Club.
“This is a tournament that I dearly want to win, and having lost in a play-off and come close last year, it definitely lights the fires even more,” said the World Number Four.
“This event really is on a short list of tournaments that I would love to win. Just outside of the Majors, there's very few tournaments ahead of this one; the nostalgia of being here as a kid, watching all the great players play, and obviously it's always a nice, hometown feel for me coming back here with friends and family.
“I come in here probably playing as well but maybe without the big week. Provided I stay patient and keep doing all the good things I have been doing, that week will be just around the corner and obviously there's a lot of good golf to play coming up leading into the Major season.
“I have very strong memories, even though I come back very seldomly. It feels when I drive around, I know my way around. Most places on Tour, you're dealing with sat-nav and stuff like that, but I know how to get around and it's a cool feeling to get around.
“It's nice to just to go down to my local club in North Hampshire and have a pint in the bar and see some of the old faces and people that have been really, really good to me through the years. It's been a really good sort of grounding week for me, as well, from that perspective.
“They treat me really well down there. The secretary always used to give me a rollicking for having my hat on in the clubhouse and stuff like that!”
The tournament represents Rose’s first visit to England since The Ryder Cup victory last October, and last year’s runner-up admits there is still a real buzz about The Miracle of Medinah.
“It's actually quite interesting being in America, I know exactly when Sky Sports replay The Ryder Cup, because there's a big influx of Tweets and people say ‘still can't believe you holed that putt at 17’.
“So people are still dreaming about it and engaged about it. We saw it last night and there's obviously been some great achievements on The European Tour, but almost the final piece of the evening was The Ryder Cup and it is very special to The European Tour and it is very special to the golfing public here who are very passionate about it.
“The thing I most enjoyed signing today was one of the champagne bottles that we were spraying off the bridge at Medinah when one of the lucky fan has got it and travelled home with it and got all the guys to sign it.”
