Justin Rose hopes that Los Angeles’ group stage win in the Tomorrow Golf League (TGL) is able to bring a few hours of “light relief” to those affected by the wildfires in the city.
The golfer is currently competing in the TGL which is a technology-led indoor golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Rose’s LA beat Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links 12-1 on Tuesday in their first match of the competition.
The 44-year-old said that playing for Los Angeles has added an emotional edge due to the recent fires that have caused so much devastation across the city.
“A lot of the owners of the LA franchise were in town so hearing stories first hand they’ve had some very personal trauma from the fires.” Rose told BBC South Today.
“We’ve all been following that story (of the fires) very closely and we know the area really well having played a lot of golf in and around LA, it’s a great city and just sad to think about.
“The devastation has taken memories, homes and possessions and mostly that is that’s irreplaceable.
“It was a big win for the team though – sport can offer maybe an hour or two of light relief from what’s a very serious situation.”
The TGL is made up of six teams that compete against each other in a round-robin format, leading to semi-finals and a best-of-three final in late March.
Alongside Rose, LA’s squad is made up of Californian residents Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala as well as England’s Tommy Fleetwood.
They are next in action at the start of February when they take on Boston Common Golf, which is a squad featuring Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama.
“I’ve got to say I think we’ve got a great team.” Rose added. “Only three out of the four play and I think we just have strong options everywhere we look.
“Tommy Fleetwood wasn’t able to make this last one as he’s playing in Dubai, he’s looking phenomenally strong so far this season.
“This is serious competition and you’ve got world’s best golfers there, as soon as we face up against one another pride and ego and all these things kick in so you want to win.”
