India, Oct. 13 -- His only previous trip to India is a blur for Justin Rose. It was 22 years ago, for barely three days to play in a Skins event. A planned destination 40th birthday celebration had to be called off because of the Covid pandemic.

Another interminable wait is to win a second Major. The first had come at the 2013 US Open. Rose added lustre to that phase of his career by winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics on golf's return after 112 years. Since then there have been five second-place finishes, including potentially crushing playoff defeats at the Masters to Sergio Garcia (2017) and Rory McIlroy (2025).

The other two were at the Open (2018, 2024), but well into his 40s, it reflects Rose's fitness, skill and persistence tha...