Another month, another change for Justin Rose. A few weeks after parting ways with equipment sponsor Honma, the Englishman has split from his longtime swing coach Sean Foley. They were together 11 years.
The Telegraph first reported the news on Tuesday.
“I spent the past three months working on my game at home,” Rose told the newspaper. “I made a lot of progress and wanted to keep that momentum going when I returned to competition in Fort Worth. I felt it was a good time to take complete ownership of my swing and game. That idea is something Sean has always wanted for me.”
Rose, who finished one shot out of a playoff and tied for third at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, met with Foley over dinner at Lake Nona in Orlando before departing for Colonial. There, Rose outlined his desire to oversee his own swing.
Though both men said they’d been discussing the move for a while, the inevitable was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Rose living in the Bahamas and Foley based in Orlando.
“These things are never easy because as soon as they occur, you have so many memories,” Foley told Golf Digest. “All I can do is second [what Rose said]. Eleven years as a coach of a team or player is a long time. Rosie’s like a brother to me. We had an incredible run together.”
But over the last several months Rose’s consistency has dipped. In five PGA Tour starts this year, he has three missed cuts and just one finish in the top 50.
Still, Rose reached incredible heights with Foley by his side.
Under Foley, Rose won all 10 of his PGA Tour titles, including his first major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. He also reached No. 1 in the world on five separate occasions, won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and captured the 2018 FedEx Cup. His latest victory came at the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
“I am grateful for the successes I had under his tutelage and the career goals I was able to achieve,” Rose told the Guardian. “The door is open whenever I have questions or want his guidance, as he continues to be one of my closest friends.”
Foley, whose other clients include Cameron Champ, Danny Lee, Brendan Grace and Lucas Bjerregaard, said he was equally appreciative for his time with Rose.
“In that time I’ve learned so much about the game, the swing, coaching,” Foley said. “I’m grateful for the time we had. It’s the end of something, but it feels like something new [for Rose] and I’m excited to see where it goes.”