Rose blooms into hottest property

On his arrival in Portmarnock last year for the European Amateur Team Championship, Peter McEvoy, now the Walker Cup captain, remarked, "There's a young man in my side who is the best I've ever seen at his age . . . his name is Justin Rose."

England didn't even make the top flight of qualifiers for the matchplay stages then, but a year is a long time in golf.

Yesterday, as Justin Peter Rose, who won't be 18 until next week, arrived on the first tee at Royal Birkdale for the final round of the British Open championship, via the practice range from where a blond teenage girl had insisted she would chauffeur him in an e-z-go cart through the madding crowds, he had bloomed into one of the game's hottest properties.

The evidence of his new-found fame was everywhere. Overhead, a twin-engine aircraft flew by with an advertising trailer that contained none of the corinthian spirit. "Go Justin, fly Majorca from Blackpool," it proclaimed, rather crudely.

Yet, as he walked the fairways, refusing to cocoon himself away and, instead, acknowledging every shout of encouragement with a synchronised wave that finished with a thumbs-up gesture, his fans also displayed the sense of enjoyment he unquestionably felt. Some buddies had the initials "JPR" painted on their foreheads, and teenage girls uncurled a banner that simply stated, "Justin Rose is bloomen (sic) brilliant!" Others were content with self-painted "Rosie" and "Rose'a" T-shirts.

From start to finish, his exploits were surreal. On the first green, he giggled like the teenager that he is when a vole jumped out of the hole and, reminiscent of a clockwork mouse, veered first one way and then another before a marshal rescued the little rodent from all the giddy merriment and rehoused it in the rough.

And, four hours later, the giggles returned (in the rough off the 18th fairway) when he had the audacity to hole out from 45 yards with his third shot for a closing birdie that left him in a tie for fourth place in the championship.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "It was a tough shot out of the rough over a bunker and all I was trying to do was get it close. A perfect end to a perfect championship."

No financial rewards, but many kudos - and a bright future ahead. Was that your last shot as an amateur? "Yes, nice way to finish, wasn't it?" replied Rose, who will play as a professional in the Dutch Open this week.

Tiger Woods, who was leading amateur at Lytham two years ago when he was tied-22nd, was impressed with the English teenager. "He's held himself together well. Hopefully, he'll continue to play well and make the right decisions. I know my game wasn't ready for it at 17. Good luck to him."

Rose exudes confidence. This is the player who lost by a 4 and 2 margin to Ireland's Noel Fox in the Home Internationals in Burnham and Berrow last September. His deeds and actions yesterday were a million miles away from the Devon coast.

"The crowd put me at ease, they didn't give me time to be nervous," professed Rose, whose performance bettered even that of Guy Wolstenholme who was sixth at St Andrews in 1960, the golden days of amateur golf. But Rose's endeavours - and those of Sergio Garcia - emphasise the current health of that code.

"I felt like a winner today, walking up that final fairway," said Rose. "I got the feel of what it is probably like to win a tournament."

The decision to move into the professional game was made as soon as he walked off the final green. "I said I'd use this week to make up my mind, and it has. I've a sound technical swing, but it's your mental state that is the real tell-tale sign. I now know that I can cope and have fun."

The word on the street is that he will tie up with Carnegie Sports Management, who look after Sam Torrance and Gordon Sherry. But talk of £1 million-plus offers is idle. "I haven't had any offers of contracts yet, none whatsoever," said Rose. "I'm available to talk."

It's unlikely that he'll have to wait too long.