Rose for Loch Lomond
Justin Rose is to make his first European appearance of the year at next week’s Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.
Having failed to qualfy for the Open championship so far, the invitation to play will give the 24-year-old a final chance to make it through to St Andrews. The leading non-exempt player earns a spot.
Rose, fourth in the 1998 Open as a 17-year-old amateur, has chosen to concentrate on the US Tour this season and decided in March to give up his European tour membership.
He is only 94th on the money list, however, and looked like missing the cut tonight in the Western Open in Chicago.
Joint halfway leader at the Masters last year, Rose’s career has slipped since then. He did not play the Open at Royal Troon, nor this year’s Masters or US Open and is down to 99th on the world rankings.
Unless he rejoins the European circuit he would not be eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup.
The Scottish Open has lost US Open champion Michael Campbell and Irish pair Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell from its field and twice winner Ernie Els said at the US Open he might pull out too.
