Justin Rose is returning to No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking after winning the Turkish Airlines Open on Sunday.ANTALYA, Turkey – Justin Rose is No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking again, and this time it feels even more special to him because he went home with a trophy.
The 38-year-old Englishman rallied from a three-shot deficit Sunday by closing with a 3-under-par 68, then defeated China’s Li Haotong on the first playoff hole with a par to win the Turkish Airlines Open for the second straight year.
The first time Rose reached No. 1 in the world was two months ago, a bittersweet moment because he lost the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in a playoff with Keegan Bradley.
“This time I’ve got some silverware,” Rose said. “Last time it was muted because I was still so mad at not winning the tournament at the BMW. But this time I’ve got the double kind of winning feeling, so it might be a bit more fun to celebrate it at this time.”
Rose has had plenty to celebrate lately. He won the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup championship with its $10 million bonus in September, but much like getting to No. 1 in the world for the first time, it was an awkward moment because he had a chance to win the Tour Championship and instead closed with a 73 and tied for fourth.