Rose determined to pursue goals he set with his late father

JUSTIN ROSE is to continue chasing the goals he and his late father set at the start of the season.

A week after Ken Rose died following a long battle with leukaemia, the 22-year-old from Hampshire returns at the American Express Championship in Ireland on Thursday.

‘‘In the short to medium term I intend to keep my schedule very much unchanged,’’ said Rose. ‘‘Dad would have wanted me to keep playing and finish the year the best I can.

‘‘When we sat down together at the beginning of the year, qualifying for the Amex was one of the goals we set. He was so pleased that I made it into the field and I am now keen to follow it through.

‘‘The last few months have been hard for the family, but the kindness that has been shown by all our friends, both in and out of the golfing community, has been of great comfort.’’

Rose could go to the top of the European Order of Merit by winning on Sunday. It would be his fifth victory of the season.

His rise into the world’s top 40 has guaranteed him a World Cup debut in Mexico in December. A change in the rules means he is set to partner Nick Faldo rather than Gary Evans there.

This year both places are determined by world rankings. Faldo is at 60th and Evans at 112th, although the sides are determined after this week’s event, and Faldo is not playing.