Justin Rose was in the crowd to watch Great Britain and Ireland claim a dramatic victory over the United States in the Curtis Cup on Sunday, with members of that winning team now set to feature this week at an event launched by the former world No 1.
Rose was among the thousands at Sunningdale to witness Catriona Matthew’s side come through a tight final-day tussle to claim a 10.5-9.5 victory and end a run of three consecutive defeats in the biennial contest.
The former FedExCup champion and his wife Kate have regularly shown their commitment to the women’s game in the UK, launching the Rose Ladies Series during the Covid-19 pandemic before creating the Rose Ladies Open in 2022 on the LET’s Access Series.
The event returns for the third consecutive season this week, with The Melbourne Club at Brocket Hall hosting the 54-hole tournament from Friday, where GB and Ireland’s unbeaten star Sara Byrne will make her professional debut and Curtis Cup team-mate Mimi Rhodes also features.
Former Rose Ladies Series event winners Gabriella Cowley, Liz Young and Gemma Clews are all due to tee it up on home soil, with Rose pleased to see such a strong line-up for this year’s contest.
“I think the success of the Rose Ladies Series and the Rose Ladies Open is down to the fact that it has been supported by the girls,” Rose told Sky Sports. “Your events are as only as good as the players that show up.
“I’ve been part of many events where sponsors have put on great tournaments that just fade away, because players don’t end up supporting them. Kate and I have obviously created that opportunity but it’s only a success because of the girls, so I give them ultimate credit on that.”
How the Roses have supported women’s golf
The Rose Ladies Series initially provided playing opportunities during golf’s coronavirus-enforced shutdown, with eight events in 2020 and a further 11 tournaments taking place the following campaign.
Five events were then created during a four-week period in April 2022 to allow players to prepare for the new season, with a similar string of tournaments then created for each of the next two years as well as the Rose Ladies Open.
“If there’s a need and we can help fill those little gaps that there might be in the women’s game, that’s our role and that’s what we’re trying to achieve,” Rose explained.
“We’re not trying to compete with any tour or anything like that by any means, we’re just trying to support the areas where the ladies can have their opportunity to improve the skillsets and get them ready to compete in events later in the season.
Rose Ladies Series
“Also, importantly, it’s about keeping the conversation going around women’s golf, because I think there are so many talents and so many great stories out there. I think as soon as you’re a fan of someone, you’re more engaged to watch, so it’s also about telling the stories a bit better.
“Gemma Dryburgh is one of the ones who comes to mind. She went on to win on the LPGA Tour and credited – months prior – the fact that she gained a little bit of confidence from the single-day events that she won. It got her season up and running, got some self-belief going and things do snowball.
“By no means are we taking credit for her win, but it’s nice for her to put the pieces together and think we had a very small part in that journey and that’s exactly what it is in place for.”
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Will the Rose Ladies Series return?
The 2024 Rose Ladies Series was a run of five 18-hole events across a two-week period in April, when the Ladies European Tour was being played outside of Europe and ahead of the start of the LET Access Series.
No events have been confirmed for next year, with the Ladies European Tour yet to announce their 2025 schedule, although Rose is happy to continue to support the women’s game if the events are going to be of benefit.
“If we can keep it going, then for sure,” Rose said. “Kate and I have personally got involved and we’ll continue to be involved. We do have a lot of other partners and sponsors that help us make it happen too, so yeah, if we can continue to keep up the energy with everybody, absolutely.
“I feel there’s a lot of goals yet to achieve still and we do believe, that if we do get into something, we want to do it right. We want to see it through to the end and we want to push it forward.
“As long as that’s possible, we’ll stay in the game and keep doing that.”
You can get free tickets to the Rose Ladies Open by clicking here, with highlights of the event shown later this month on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and more with NOW.
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Source : Sky Sports
