Yet he came tied 70th that week and when the Open next came back to one of its more cherished homes in 2017 he recorded a tie for 54th. No doubt, he has nothing to prove to anyone, least of all a 28-year-old ghost, what with his 2013 US Open title, his Olympic gold, his Ryder Cup heroics and a healthy stint as world No 1. But as he prepares to tee it up at Birkdale in an Open for the fourth time, there is still surely closure to be gained? Rose refuses to see it that way.
“OK, I understand that there is nowhere that would be more special for me to win than there,” he says. “Not even St Andrews. And yes, it would mean my career coming full circle and make everything so neat and fulfilling. I’m not going to deny that. But at the same time, listen, this is the third time I’ve been back now and I have finished runner-up at the Open on two occasions [at Carnoustie in 2018 and Royal Troon in 2024], so 1998 is not my best finish, as it was for so long. I’ve done better than that 17-year-old, if you like.
“So I can’t keep writing the same story. You can, but I can’t. I can’t keep thinking the same thing and building it up because of ’98. Because that’s the way to put too much pressure on yourself and we probably saw a bit of that with Rory [McIlroy] at Royal Portrush in 2019. I have great history at Birkdale, but for 2026 it means nothing, unless you use it as a positive. So you go in with a ‘take the inspiration, but leave the expectation’ mindset. I’ve at least learnt that in all my decades in the biggest events.”