Royal Birkdale is where it all began for Justin Rose.<\/b>
\nSOUTHPORT, England (AP) – Royal Birkdale is where it all began for Justin Rose.
Now, there’s a Lego scene to prove it.
Rose was a slight 17-year-old golfer wearing a baggy red sweater and a wide smile when he produced one of the British Open’s iconic moments in 1998, holing out from 45 yards for eagle at the 72nd hole to secure a tie for fourth place.
He was the talk of Birkdale that week. Trash-collector staff stopped working to catch a glimpse of the English amateur making a run at the claret jug on home turf.
It was a summer that defined him, and still does in many ways.
One of the first places he sought out when arriving for a practice round at the course last week was that piece of rough to the left of the fairway on No. 18, where he holed the shot of a lifetime.
Days later, the moment was recreated in a video animation in Lego form and got the attention of Rose’s kids and his 3-year-old nephew, Billy.
\u00ab\u00a0You see them watch it and see them so impressed, \u00a0\u00bb Rose said. \u00ab\u00a0It’s a Lego scene, that’s how you know it was a cool achievement.\u00a0\u00bb
Rose looks back at that moment and that particular British Open – his first – and sees someone playing with \u00ab\u00a0freedom\u00a0\u00bb and the \u00ab\u00a0innocence\u00a0\u00bb of youth. He is trying to use that as a model going forward.
He’s also amazed that it remains his best finish at his home major.
\u00ab\u00a0It’s disappointing, \u00a0\u00bb he said Tuesday. \u00ab\u00a0Maybe the expectation for a number of years afterwards took its toll coming back, trying to live up to it. I feel now, though, at this stage of my career I’ve sort of somewhat proved that wasn’t a flash in the pan, so I can come back to the Open a little freer than I could.\u00a0\u00bb
Rose is the Olympic champion, a U. S Open winner from 2013 and a reliable pick at most majors these days. Three months ago, he was dueling with Sergio Garcia in the final round of the Masters, only to lose to his good friend in a playoff.
Still, he sees the next few years as the \u00ab\u00a0do-it-now phase\u00a0\u00bb of his career if he wants to win the claret jug.
\u00ab\u00a0Unfinished business, for sure, \u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0I don’t want to say that if I don’t win this, it’s going to be a huge sort of hole in my career. But it was the one tournament that even before I finished fourth here as an amateur, I got to final qualifying at the age of 14 and created a bit of a story then.
\u00ab\u00a0It’s definitely been a championship that I’ve had great moments in. And to win it would kind of close the book in a way on my Open Championship story.\u00a0\u00bb
He has only one other top-10 finish at the British Open, and Rose has been known to complain about being on the wrong side of the draw.
\u00ab\u00a0I’ve decided, \u00a0\u00bb Rose said, \u00ab\u00a0that that’s kind of going to be a non-issue going forward.\u00a0\u00bb
He plays with Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Thomas in his first two rounds.
___
Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com\/sdouglas80
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

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