Justin Rose has urged his European team-mates to “be united” as they attempt to defend the Ryder Cup in the United States.
On Friday, all eyes in the sporting world will turn to Bethpage Black in New York where the biennial event gets underway.
This will be Rose’s seventh appearance in the Ryder Cup and he will be looking to claim a fifth win as one of the more experienced players in captain Luke Donald’s group.
Only four European teams have ever won in America, and Rose was part of the last group to do so at Medinah in 2012 when they clinched the title with a 14.5 to 13.5 victory.
“We’ve seen Ryder Cups over the last 20 years or so go with home course advantage with the exception of the Medinah,” Rose told BBC Sport.
“If we can win is the big question we are hopefully going to answer. To do it, we have to be united, as we’re going to face a lot of disruption and challenge on the golf course with the adverse crowd.
“If we can stay united in our response to that, and find the level we’ve found all season, then I think the team itself is in great shape.”
The 45-year-old – who started his career playing golf in Hampshire – has won a total of 15.5 points in the Ryder Cup since his competition debut in 2008.
Two years ago he received his first captain’s pick to make the team that won in Rome, but this year he managed to qualify automatically with a strong year on tour.
Rose picked up a first PGA win in two years in the St Jude Championship in August, and narrowly missed out in the Masters at Augusta National after losing to Rory McIlroy in a play-off.
He claimed five top-10 finishes and seven top-25 finishes to seal automatic qualification for the team at Bethpage.
“An away Ryder Cup win would be way sweeter than a home one for sure,” Rose said.
“All the lads realise that and Rory put that peg in the ground a while back where he said that would be one of the biggest achievements in sport and golf at the moment.
“That’s what we’re pushing for.”
Read the full article here
