The second coming of Justin Rose

There are times when humble pie can actually be rather tasty, especially with a nice dollop of brown sauce on top. But I’m not about to indulge - I’m on a diet trying to create space for the inevitable Christmas pudding and other gastronomic excesses coming my way soon. Which will come as disappointing news to those who think I should now be eating platefuls of pie, not to say whole tabletops groaning with the stuff, over my comments earlier this year about Justin Rose.

The issue has arisen because good old Justin has won a competition at last after a four-year drought. This stirring victory came in that top flight competition, the Australian Masters. That’d be the Australian Masters featuring such golfing heavyweights as Aaron Baddeley, Stuart Appleby, John Senden, Paul Casey, Michael Campbell, Will MacKenzie and … well that’s about it (if you think I’ve left anyone out be sure to let me know); the Masters where, true to character, our intrepid Justin decided to make things interesting for himself with a one-over last round 73.

Credit where it’s due. It was a win and one where he managed to defend a lead on the final day with a gritty, if uneven performance. I have no doubt it will do his confidence no end of good. But it is a modest swallow on which to build an entire spring, summer and autumn of unalloyed success as is now being proclaimed by his legions of fans (that means you Warren). For them the Masters represents nothing less than the second coming.

Really tough to win down among the Aussies, they mutter sagely. His back nine on the Sunday was real pressure stuff after a triple bogey on the eighth. The golfing hacks lustily joined in: goodness, some even hinted at a major or three within the next five years. You can tell the golf news agenda is a bit thin at the moment.

I am not saying he WON’T win next year. Indeed he SHOULD win next year because, as everyone attests, he is a supreme golfer. His change of coach looks to be working well and if he does turn more attention to the European tour as he suggests I think he will benefit enormously.

No one enjoys seeing the cross of St George atop the leaderboard more than I. But I fear there is still a flaw in his match temperament that is harshly exposed by the world’s toughest circuit.

Sure, he’s still pretty young by golfing standards, but so is Adam Scott, who at the same age has four PGA wins under his belt. And let’s not hear any more about the effect of his father’s death. With all due respect, that was four years ago. Tiger Wood’s father meant just as much to him - and it took an admittedly somewhat older Tiger less than three months before launching into a six-victory run.

I’d love to see Rose go on a victory bender of his own, and if and when he does win I will be the first to cheer. I still won’t be eating humble pie though because my question was a legitimate one born of utter frustration.

Just one other thing: remember the last overseas player to win the Australian Masters? Take a bow, Colin Montgomerie, the best golfer never to win a major, so they say, nor anything on the US tour for that matter.