Justin Rose’s response when told he had his worst tee-to-green performance of the year with McLaren clubs

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Justin Rose’s McLaren partnership isn’t exactly off to a dream start.

On his very first hole with his new club manufacturer Rose found the water on a par five, and made triple bogey. He’s T52 after round one of the Cadillac Championship, shooting two-over par.

Rose’s move to McLaren was shocking. The 45-year-old has had a second lease of life in the last two seasons as an equipment-free agent, so this is a massive gamble for the Englishman.

His first round of the Cadillac Championship was the worst tee-to-green performance of his season, according to Strokes Gained data, and Rose responded to this when he heard the stat.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Justin Rose’s response to poor start with McLaren clubs

Justin Rose lost 2.26 strokes ball-striking and 4.83 strokes tee-to-green during his first round of the Cadillac Championship. That’s his second-worst ball-striking and worst tee-to-green round of 2026 for the 203 US Open winner.

When he saw this statistic on X from Rick Gehman, he replied, “Cheers Rick for the stats… will use DRS tomorrow after that info… 🤝”

DRS means Drag Reduction System, a feature used by Formula One cars before this year which allowed them to go faster on the straights.

It’s nice to see Rose has taken it well after signing with a company best known for their successes in F1. But he’ll be hoping he can figure this out, and quickly, with the PGA Championship fast approaching.

There are signs, however, that it wasn’t necessarily the club’s fault.

Why Justin Rose’s poor first round at Doral wasn’t McLaren’s fault