Justin Rose - PGA Championship Player

England’s Justin Rose, is an up and coming golfing great. What makes this PGA Championship player so interesting is fluctuating fortunes on the professional tour.

At one time Justin Rose almost dropped off the golfing map altogether following the death of his father and mentor, Ken. He has since made a comeback, and judging by his performance in 2007, looks set to progress even further.

South African born Rose first shot to prominence with his fourth place finish at the British Open in 1998 as a 17 year old amateur. He turned professional the following week. After a wobbly start, Justin Rose’s pro career took flight in 2002 when he won his first professional event, the Dunhill Championship, and he followed this up with three further victories that same year.

In 2004 Justin Rose played on the PGA Tour, whilst retaining his membership of the European Tour. The 2008 PGA Championship player didn’t have a good year, and despite his decision to leave the European Tour and concentrate on the PGA Tour instead continued to struggle at the top level. In late 2005 his form began to improve, and he finished third in the Buick Championship.

From that moment on, Justin Rose’s game has improved dramatically. In 2006, under the direction of a new coach, Justin Rose led the Canadian Open before finishing second at the Disney Resort Championship later that year.

In 2007, the talented PGA Championship golfer won the European Tour's Order of Merit and two titles on the European Tour - the MasterCard Masters in Australia early in the year and the season's closing Volvo Masters, rocketing him to the No 1 spot on the Order of Merit. The highlight of the year was his surprise win at the Australian Masters.

Although he lost a playoff at the 2007 BMW PGA Championship, Justin Rose moved into the top twenty of the world rankings for the first time. By October Justin Rose had reached a new career high of 12 and became the top ranked European golfer for the first time.

It remains to be seen whether Justin Rose will maintain his form throughout the forthcoming year at major events such as the PGA Championship. He’s proved his talent with his 7 professional wins, and his ability to triumph in the face of adversity.