McLaren Golf has arrived on the scene and its first signing a rather big one!
A US Open winner, Olympic gold medalist, multiple-time Ryder Cup player and former World No.1, Justin Rose has joined the company as not just a tour player but also an investor.
Some of the best golf of his career is being played right now, and that’s why quite a few eyebrows were raised when Rose was announced as McLaren Golf’s first tour player.
It led to the question… is it a good move for the Englishman given his current form and the stage he’s at in his career?
The Elephant In The Room
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Let’s start with the elephant in the room… Rose’s short-lived stint with Honma Golf.
At the end of 2018, he was the World No.1, held the FedEx Cup and accumulated wins on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
However, having used TaylorMade clubs for 20 years, Rose opted to split with the brand at the end of that season and instead sign with Honma, a relatively unknown brand at the time, in a 10-club deal.
In a release, it said Rose would “lead Honma’s worldwide tour presence,” adding “the board sees this as an important milestone in Honma’s efforts in global professional golf.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Certainly, at the time, the move drew questions, but critics were quickly silenced as Rose claimed victory at the Farmers Insurance Open in just his second start with the brand.
The honeymoon period didn’t last long, though as, despite making the Tour Championship in 2019, a poor start to 2020 which included three missed cuts and a T56th finish led to Rose splitting with Honma.
Initially, the risky move to a brand that wasn’t as established as the major OEMs looked like it had paid off, but in the end, the Major winner lost form and his game suffered. Whether that could be directly attributed to his equipment is entirely conjecture, but it goes to show how…
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