Justin Rose picked a good day for an abbreviated practice.
As the Monterey Peninsula turned nasty late Tuesday morning, flipping from ideal conditions to chilly, 30 mph winds seemingly in a flash, Rose was close to wrapping. He’d set off early at Pebble Beach Golf Links – his caddie, Mark Fulcher, armed with just a putter and some wedges – starting with the first five greens, then skipping over to No. 8 and ending with Nos. 14-18. Work smarter, not harder, right?
The 45-year-old Rose is back in California after a week home in England. He captured the Farmers Insurance Open two Sunday ago at Torrey Pines, then immediately hopped on a commercial redeye to London. Rose went more than two years since his 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am victory without adding to his trophy case, but his Farmers title marked his second on the PGA Tour in his last five official starts. That, plus rising to No. 3 in the world called for celebration, though Rose kept things relatively “lowkey,” hitting the city last Friday night with about a half-dozen of his closest lads for a nice meal and a few bottles of wine.
And so, Monday called for something equally as lowkey.
“I know these venues really, really well,” Rose said, “but coming off the back of a lot of travel as well, just for me, walking around with a wedge and putter, refreshing my memory on the greens and breaks and pin placements, that’s where I get the value. … If I want to spend 20 minutes on a particular green, I like to do that sometimes.”
By the time Rose reached the final two holes on Monday, Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim were just ahead, slicing drivers into the par-3 17th green and out over the ocean on the par-5 closing hole. Rose, though entertained, was content watching from distance.
He’d already had his Pebble fun a few months ago anyway.
Rose usually takes a buddies’ trip once per year. There are about a dozen guys, all of whom Rose grew up playing golf with. Last November’s itinerary was a bucket-list lineup – rounds at Pebble, Cypress Points, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
“We had blue sky days every day,” Rose recalled. “It was just the most epic trip for the boys, all from the U.K. Yeah, helping them just kind of share those moments, and for all of us to share that together was incredibly special.”