Justin Rose’s wife ended four-year rift with phone call that inspired Open and Ryder Cup heroics
A phone call from Justin Rose’s wife played a pivotal role in his stellar performances at The Open and the Ryder Cup.
Rose split from long-time caddie Mark “Fooch” Fulcher in 2019, but they were reunited last summer and the 43-year-old played a talismanic hand in the win over the United States in Rome to regain the iconic trophy before a valiant showing at Royal Troon on Sunday.
Rose, who had faced the worst of the conditions on Scotland’s west coast all week, masterfully moved himself into contention over the opening three rounds. But he was beaten to the Claret Jug by two shots as Xander Schauffele cemented his status as a modern great.
Fulcher joked that he wished the American was a “w*****”, but “he couldn’t be nicer” and added: “He did not put a foot wrong and it was nice not to pay for a ticket and watch it all day because it was fantastic.”
Rose tied for second place with Billy Horschel and had to fight back tears coming off the 18th green as this chance to win the title he covets the most was snatched away from him by the world No. 2.
The Englishman, a former US Open and Olympic champion, is sure more big victories are on the horizon, and having his old ally Fooch back on the bag has made the world of difference.
But it took a phone call from Rose’s wife, Kate, to Fulcher’s partner, Adrienne, to end the rift between the former world No. 1 and his trusted looper. Fulcher said their reunion would “absolutely not” have been possible without the wives’ intervention.
“‘Does Fooch fancy coming back? The old boy’s a bit miserable,’” Fulcher recalled of Kate’s plea. “And I think my wife was saying, ‘My old boy’s a bit miserable, he’s drinking too much wine and sitting on the couch,’ so why not come back?
“Mrs Rose gets what Mrs Rose asks for, and she’s amazing. She’s always been a huge backer of me. We got to Wentworth and got to the house and it didn’t feel like those years had gone past at all.”
Rose is in the twilight of his career, and Fulcher added: “Justin’s very conscious of his age and I think that’s an inspiration for him. He wants to buck the trend of it being 20-year-olds and obviously there is unbelievable talent coming out every day.
