Champagne on ice as victorious Rose eyes US Open spot

LEO ROSE is only 15 months old, but even he was applauding as his dad Justin’s long wait for a first victory in America ended at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.

Celebrations, however, had to be put on ice – like Simon Khan after his BMW PGA Championship win two weeks ago Rose had to get up early today to compete in a 36-hole US Open qualifier.

“I might have one set of drinks, but I’ll be waking up clear-headed and ready to go,” said Rose after receiving the trophy – and a cheque for over a million dollars – from tournament host Jack Nicklaus.

“I think it deserves the full respect that I’m going to give it and should I get through I’ll obviously go into the US Open with a lot of confidence and just try to keep my momentum rolling.”

The fact that he was not already exempt for next week’s championship at Pebble Beach and still has to earn a place in next month’s Open at St Andrews as well just shows how far Rose had fallen since he was sixth in the world two years ago.

There was even a danger he would sacrifice his European Tour membership to concentrate on the American circuit – and put a Ryder Cup place in jeopardy. But now all things look possible again.

The 29-year-old, who finally broke through in the States in his 162nd PGA Tour start, is up from 66th to 33rd on the world rankings and has leapt from 27th to eighth on the Ryder Cup world points list, just ahead of Wales Open winner Graeme McDowell.

Only four from that list, however, earn automatic places in Colin Montgomerie’s side and since he plays so little in Europe it still looks likely that he will need one of three wild cards.

Competition for those is really hotting up. Pádraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Ross Fisher and McDowell would require one as things stand.

“I guess I’m right in the hunt there now, which is great,” commented Rose, who joins Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy as a winner in America this season.

“I think my best way of getting into the Ryder Cup is not worry about the Ryder Cup – I’ve been saying that for quite some time.

“The key is to just keep plugging away and don’t get too involved in all these things that, I guess, started me slipping down in the world rankings.

“So continue to play free. I talked about trying to play one shot at a time, stay focused, not get ahead of myself.

“I also really tried hard to not distinguish a huge difference between winning in Europe and wining in America.

“I was trying not to put a huge barrier in front of me. Now, with the monkey off my back, there is a difference, of course.

“To win a PGA Tour event I think you certainly need to have 100% control of your emotions. The last tournament I won was the 2007 Volvo Masters and I didn’t win it in a fashion that I was actually terribly proud of.

“I was four or five ahead at one point and ended up winning in a play-off. This gives me a lot more satisfaction to win the way I did.”

From four behind Rose shot a closing six under par 66, the low round of a day against a field which included Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, to beat 21-year-old American Rickie Fowler by three.