Golf is often seen as a sport where players can grow older and still compete easily. But Justin Rose has shown that this idea is not really true. 

In February 2026, Rose spoke with Dan Rapaport on the show Dan on Golf at Pebble Beach. Rapaport asked him directly how a 45-year-old golfer can still compete physically when a soccer player is usually already coaching from the sidelines at the same age.

He reveals the hard truth behind the golf.

"But golf is quite a weirdly explosive sport. There's a lot of forces that need to be absorbed by the body to swing a club at 120 mph and do it repeatedly," he said.

Golf may look calm from the outside, but Rose says it is much more physical. Players swing the club at 120 mph many times over five days and walk miles on the ground. This puts a lot of stress on the body.

“The underrated part is actually the walking and how much it tightens your body up, especially over five days. Those things don't happen in golf like they do in other sports.” Rose added.

The difference is that golfers know exactly what movements they will make. Because of that, they can train for those movements in a specific way. Athletes in contact sports cannot prepare as precisely.

Phil Mickelson, at age 50, became the oldest player to win a major championship in 2021. Another example is Bernhard Langer, who, at age 65, won the U.S. Senior Open in 2023 and is still playing at a high level in 2026.

Well, Rose himself has proved his statement right with recent performances.

Tournament Records by Justin Rose That Back It All Up

This is not just a theory from a player close to retirement. Rose recently won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines from start to finish. He became the oldest player to win the tournament and also set a new scoring record.

It was his 13th PGA Tour title, achieved at an age when most professional golfers have already retired.

His preparation shows how serious he is. He starts with a soft tissue massage at 5 a.m. before his 8 a.m. tee time. Then he does a 30-minute fitness session before going to the practice range.

After every round, he uses a recovery RV with full equipment. It includes a hot plunge, cold plunge, an infrared sauna, a red light therapy bed, and fresh oxygen while riding a spin bike.

"You've got to take a lot of care over your joints," Rose told Rapaport. "Making sure that all the muscles are activated, that you're getting good stretching, getting good recovery."

Pin positions are announced at 8 p.m. Rose studies them, plans his strategy for the next day, and goes to bed around 9 p.m.

It is a 16-hour day focused completely on competition. This level of careful preparation done consistently for almost 30 years explains why Rose is still setting records at 45 instead of watching from home.

Do you think Justin Rose can add a second Major before he hangs up his clubs? Tell us below.

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Kalp Thaker