WORKDAY CHARITY OPEN

July 8, 2020

Justin Rose

Q. Your thoughts on the Ryder Cup being postponed to 2021?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I think my initial thoughts were it took a while to make the call. I think there were definitely rumblings around that it was going to happen, but my initial thoughts are 2021 is going to be a busy year, especially the Olympics added in there, as well, so it would be great to play well. But more importantly, I think for the Ryder Cup, the fans do make that tournament. I wasn't against playing without fans just based on the fact that I still think there could have been a lot of intensity between the players, but the Ryder Cup is about the crowd, and it's going to remind me of that actually in September when I'm saying that I really wanted a crowd there. Obviously a U.S. crowd is a fun crowd to play in front of. It's a tough crowd for an away team. But 100 percent, I think a venue especially like Whistling Straits, it needs a lot of people. It's a huge site.

Q. Overall what is your assessment of this process and the decision?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I think obviously it was around the corner I felt. Obviously the PGA of America have been respectful to the tournament trying to announce it in a key moment, to announce our schedule, but the whispers have been on TOUR for a couple of weeks that it's going to be canned, and obviously I'm sure it's not just as simple as making a decision. I'm sure there's other things that go into that call.

I think it's the right call. The Ryder Cup is about the fans. They make it for sure. As a European I think we probably would have accepted no fans, it might have made life a bit easier, but I think we're going to have a better time with the fans. I think it's going to feel like the Ryder Cup, and yeah, absolutely looking forward to playing in front of the fans.

Q. From your perspective how impactful were the voices of the players, many of them saying they did not want to play the Ryder Cup without fans?

JUSTIN ROSE: I guess so. I mean, I think you want the Ryder Cup to be important, and so the only way it's important is if it means something to us, and we're passionate about representing our country. If guys weren't going to be as up for it without the crowd and the patriotic nature of the Ryder Cup, then that means something, obviously, and America definitely took notice with that. I was interested to see if we could create this real intensity between two players, like no one else around, eyeball to eyeball type of scenario, so for me I wasn't completely against playing with no fans, but look, I think the Ryder Cup will be better for it in 2021, but I also had the opinion of, look, this is just the way the world is right now, and 2021 is going to be a pretty jammed up year now.

Q. Were you okay with playing without fans if that was the case?

JUSTIN ROSE: I was okay with it. I think, look, this is the new normal and we have to get on with it. But at the same time I want what is right for the game of golf, and if that's the collective decision, I'm all for it. Yeah, as a European I think it would have been an advantage clearly to have played with no crowd, but I think it's not about that, right. The Ryder Cup isn't about that. I think it's about a spectacle and I think the Ryder Cup is actually one of the events that we do have that's bigger than the game of golf, attracts sports fans, so therefore I think it's important to do it the right way.

Q. Finally, Seth Waugh of the PGA of America said there were discussions about having a fraction of fans. If they had decided to do that, would you be in favor of that, as well?

JUSTIN ROSE: You know, I think that would have been like kind of hedging to be honest, sort of a middle ground there. You could have created a first tee atmosphere, but I guess still social distancing might need to be adhered to, so it's not like you can put the 8,000 people that might be on-site on the first hole. That defeats the object because you're still going to have 8,000 people in close proximity. To have 8,000 -- I'm confusing 8,000 because it's the number I heard for this week. 8,000 scattered around Whistling Straits, it's such a massive site, it might have felt like, meh, so all or nothing.

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