Justin Rose - The Old, Young Gun Who Won

The years go by really quickly when you get past a certain age.

From about 18 onward they start blending into one another, and before you know it a decade has flown by. ~ Then, as some of us know all too well, the pace really picks up.

I took the photos here almost exactly two years ago but... cliche alert... it seems like only yesterday.

For me it seems like yesterday. For Justin Rose, who was then already being labeled the "early-blooming Rose waiting to blossom", those years must have rocketed by - but at the same time seemed interminable - as he struggled towards that predicted, expected... and ultimately wondered about... first US win.

These shots were snapped at the 2008 Travelers Championship. Soon after which Justin would head back to Royal Birkdale for the Open Championship. Back to the scene of his glorious debut when as a 17-year-old, he nearly won the whole thing, finishing in a tie for fourth with a memorable 59 yard chip-in on the final hole.

He was one of the era's classic "young guns", immediately turning pro, bypassing the opportunity to polish his game on a college scholarship. Some disapproved, warning that the pressures would be too great. And they were for a while as young Justin Rose proceeded to miss cuts... and more cuts. Twenty-one cuts in a row to be exact. When you think of Rory, Rickie, Ryo and all of today's "young guns" you never think of that happening, but golf is what it is, and if you have the talent that Justin Rose has you can put it back together... after twenty-one missed cuts... and become one of the world's top golfers. Justin won the the European Tour's order of merit in 2007.

But there we were, in the summer of 2008, and Justin Rose was still waiting to win on the PGA Tour.

So the two years since passed in a heartbeat... and it's only today that Mr. Rose has his PGA Tour win, on US soil at Jack's tournament. And it must be really sweet because as the English golfer... who turns 30 in July... admitted, "I have always been described as a young gun, but I'm now I'm certainly not." But now he's got a PGA Tour win, and he's still a twenty something... a young gun, albiet and old, young gun... and I'm sure that's just fine with Justin.

Photos: Jason Rose at the 2008 Travelers Championship. ~ Mark Fulcher and Jason Rose at the 2008 Travelers Championship - Golf Girl Media