BMW Championship 2018: Justin Rose delighted to become world No 1 for the first time
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Your support makes all the difference.Justin Rose is the world’s No 1 player for the very first time – even if it doesn’t feel like it just yet.
The Englishman’s second place here at the BMW Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania saw him vault Dustin Johnson to top the world standings for the first time in his career.
It is undoubtedly one of the crowing achievements of Rose’s time in the game to date, but this week’s result, a last-gasp play-off defeat to Keegan Bradley, has taken some of the shine off of it, at least for now.
“It’s an end goal dream for sure,” he said afterwards. “Obviously today is all about the process, and there will be next week to win tournaments, but to get to world No. 1 is unbelievable. It's something I can say now in my career I've been the best player in the world. I've been to the top of the game. That's definitely some consolation.
“I just wish I could have enjoyed the moment maybe. This just slightly dampens it. But tomorrow or the next day, the week after, I'll look back at this and think it was an amazing, amazing moment in my career.”
Rose led overnight in Newtown Square and had a chance to take the title inside regulation only to bogey the final hole and force a play-off with Bradley.
He then went on to bogey the same hole again to hand his American rival a first victory in six years.
“I'm disappointed right now,” Rose adds. “To bogey 18, the 72nd hole, and to get into a playoff is obviously nothing to be happy about. But the putt I hit to win on the 72nd hole is the best putt I've ever hit to try and win a tournament. I thought that thing was in the middle. But it wasn't to be.
“It’s obviously a big consolation being world No. 1. That's something that I will look back on on this week and think it was an incredible achievement, an incredible moment.
“It's just in the moment we're all about trying to win a golf tournament. But give me half an hour maybe and I might be able to say I really enjoyed it.”
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