EXCLUSIVE: JUSTIN Rose dedicated his superb tied fifth place finish in the US Open at Olympia Fields to his late dad Ken on an emotional and poignant Father's Day.
Ken, who died after a long battle with leukaemia last September, was foremost in the thoughts of his youngest son on Sunday in Chicago.
The 22-year-old's final round of 69 saw Rose shoot up the leaderboard as the chasing pack fell away in pursuit of eventual winner Jim Furyk.
Having reminded the golfing world he is a Major champion in the making with his level par return, Rose paid tribute to the man who sacrificed so much to propel him to stardom. He said: "I was aware it was Father's Day but I tried not to let it get to me emotionally.
"On the final green though, I was thinking of dad as I fin-ished. I did it for him.
"Fifth place and my best Major finish as a professional was the perfect Father's Day present for my dad."
And Ken, just 57 when he died, is the reason Rose immediately flew back from America to be at Weybrook Park Golf Club on Wednesday for a charity day.
In April, he agreed to become patron for the Basingstoke Brighter Days Appeal.
The appeal has been launched to help raise money to build a much-needed new cancer ward at Basingstoke hospital, where Ken spent a lot of time getting treatment throughout his two-and-a-half-year fight with the disease.
And, because it is a cause close to his heart, Rose said he was delighted to be able to "give something back" to the Basingstoke community.
He told The Gazette: "Local charities often get overlooked and find it difficult to raise funds, so I am glad to do anything I can to help raise money to improve facilities for cancer victims in the area.
"When someone you love gets cancer, you perhaps take for granted the kind of care they receive, but it takes a lot of hard work and effort to put that treatment in place.
"My dad got the best treatment available, but the hospital would really benefit from better facilities.
"That's what the appeal is all about and why I am here today. A new ward will be fantastic for the hospital and all those who sadly get cancer."
A total of £200,000 is needed to build the ward and a number of fundraising events, organised by Basingstoke police, have already taken place.
Support for Wednesday's golf day and Rose's participation ensured it was a massive success.
A total of £7,500 was raised for the Brighter Days Appeal through 80 playing entries and an evening auction of special golf memorabilia, signed by Rose and other stars such as Tiger Woods and Jose-Maria Olazabal.
A delighted Rose said: "It's been such a good, fun day, and the money raised is a great boost for the appeal."
Weybrook Park was packed with people eager to see Rose in action, grab pictures, signatures and chat with him about his performance in his debut US Open.
His display in Chicago was all the more remarkable given he went into the championship not particularly happy with his game.
The talent Ken nurtured for so many years has, unsurprisingly, been subdued since September, as Rose has struggled to adapt to life without his father, mentor and best friend.
For much of this season, Rose has been looking for a spark to ignite his form. And he believes it has now arrived with his fifth place, helped in no small way by a frank conversation with his coach, David Leadbetter.
"I had been whingeing and feeling a bit sorry for myself," admitted Rose. "I wasn't really up for the US Open either, but the day before it started Lead gave me the kind of talking-to my dad would have done.
"He said it was ridiculous I wasn't motivated at a major and speaking to me like that helped me.
"It's the toughest course I've played this year. I still wasn't too happy with my game after the first day, but I hung in there and I was delighted with my last-day score and finish."
Rose added: "I've been working on being a little more patient. People talk about it all the time, but I never saw the value of it until last week.
"I feel my game has moved up a level and is now ready to compete at major level. Without saying I feel I am ready to win one, I think I am capable of it in the not too distant future."
It was his best finish in a major championship since the 1998 British Open, when he finished fourth at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur.
It also secured an automatic invite to next year's US Open. And Rose cannot wait to try and go four places better than Olympia Fields in his next major, the Open at Royal St George's next month.
He said: "It's a special tournament for me, one where I have a bit of history. I would dearly love to win it and I believe it's possible."
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