Justin Rose confirms golf’s worst-kept secret

The worst-kept secret in golf is now official: Justin Rose has signed a new club deal with Honma.

As widely rumoured for several months, Rose, 38, has penned a a multi-year partnership with the premium Japanese brand to lead its worldwide tour presence.

As part of the agreement, the reigning FedEx Cup champion and world No.2 will put at least ten Honma clubs in his bag. That’s believed to include a version of the TWorld747 driver released last year as well as some of his own signature prototype Honma irons.

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Rose will also have a Honma bag, feature the Honma logo on both sides of his hat, and will also reportedly be consulted on future Honma product development.

The news brings to an end a 20-year partnership between Rose and TaylorMade, with whom he reached world No.1, won the 2013 US Open, claimed Olympic gold and much more besides.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Honma.” said Rose, “Coming off one of my best years professionally, I wanted to make it a point to get better. I believe Honma equipment and the legendary Honma craftsmanship can help make me better.”

Mr. Liu Jian Guo, the chairman of Honma Golf, added: “When we thought about the ideal golfer that aligns with our company values, everything pointed to Justin Rose. Justin is a world-class player, and beyond that, a gentleman and family man. We are ecstatic to have him on the Honma team.”

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It is believed that Rose could soon be joined by another high-profile US-based player as Honma looks to make its mark on the main men’s tours. Until now, its highest-ranked male player has been Japanese ace Hideto Tanihara. Its profile in the women’s game is much stronger, where it played on the LPGA by the likes of former world No.1 with former No. 1-ranked women So Yeon Ryu and Olympic bronze medallist Shanshan Feng.

Rose is expected to make his 2018 debut in the Desert Classic in Palm Springs from January 17-20.