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Rose Grinds Out Final-Round 68 in McLaren Club Debut at Doral

Jack Hartman
Jack Hartman
·3 min read
Rose Grinds Out Final-Round 68 in McLaren Club Debut at Doral

A New Chapter Begins at the Blue Monster

Justin Rose stepped onto the first tee at Doral's iconic Blue Monster Course this week carrying something we've never seen before on the PGA Tour—a bag full of McLaren golf clubs. And while the final result of tied 65th at two over par won't make many highlight reels, there's more to unpack here than the leaderboard suggests.

The 2013 U.S. Open champion has been without a full equipment deal since parting ways with Honma back in 2020. That's four years of mixing and matching, searching for the right fit. Now he's betting on a Formula 1 team to help him find it.

Sunday Salvage Job

Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat it—Rose was struggling through three rounds in Miami. Six over par heading into Sunday isn't where anyone wants to be, especially when you're essentially test-driving new equipment in front of the entire golf world.

But here's where the veteran showed his class. Rose fired a four-under 68 in the final round, his best score of the week by a comfortable margin. That's the kind of round that tells you something. The 44-year-old wasn't just going through the motions; he was figuring things out in real time.

Remember, this is a guy who won at Torrey Pines just back in February and finished tied for third at the Masters last month. The game is there. The question now is whether McLaren's engineers can build clubs that unlock it consistently.

Cameron Young Cruises to Victory

While Rose was working through his equipment transition, Cameron Young was putting on a show at the top of the leaderboard. The American claimed his third PGA Tour victory in dominant fashion, finishing at 19 under par—a full six shots clear of world number one Scottie Scheffler.

Young wrapped up the title with former President Donald Trump watching from the gallery, adding a bit of extra spectacle to an already impressive performance.

As for Scheffler, the runner-up finish continues a fascinating trend. The world's best player has now finished second in three consecutive tournaments, including last month's Masters. That's an incredible run of consistency, though you have to wonder when frustration might start creeping in.

Ben Griffin rounded out the top three at 12 under, while Austria's Sepp Straka, Australia's Adam Scott, and South Korea's Kim Si-Woo shared fourth place at 11 under.

English Contingent Shows Mixed Results

The English presence at Doral delivered a wide range of outcomes. Alex Fitzpatrick was the standout, finishing in a share of ninth place at nine under par. That's a solid week for the younger Fitzpatrick brother, who continues to build his profile on Tour.

Matt Wallace and Tommy Fleetwood both finished at six under, while Harry Hall came in at five under. Jordan Smith rounded out the English contingent at one under, with Rose bringing up the rear at two over.

What's Next for Rose and McLaren?

Here's the thing about equipment changes—they rarely produce instant magic. Even the most perfectly fitted clubs require adjustment time, muscle memory recalibration, and tournament-pressure testing.

Rose becoming McLaren's first professional golfer on the PGA Tour is a massive statement for the F1 giants entering the golf equipment space. They're not exactly known for doing things halfway, and you can bet their engineers are already analyzing every shot Rose hit this week.

The Sunday 68 has to be encouraging for both parties. It shows Rose can score with the new equipment when things click. The challenge now is making those clicks more frequent and those six-over-through-54-holes situations less common.

Key Takeaways

  • Rose's McLaren debut produced a mixed bag—rough start, promising finish with that final-round 68
  • Cameron Young's dominance at 19 under earned him his third PGA Tour title
  • Scottie Scheffler's runner-up streak extends to three consecutive tournaments
  • The equipment experiment is just beginning—expect plenty of tweaking in the weeks ahead
Jack Hartman

About the Author

Jack Hartman

A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can't wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.

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