​SOUTHPORT, England — The passage of time for golfers often is marked by the return to venues where they made memories. For Justin Rose, Royal Birkdale is just that, as this is his fourth visit to compete in an Open Championship, the first coming 28 years ago as a teenage amateur whose 72nd hole chip-in to finish in a tie for fourth.Can it really be 28 years?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Obviously, 1998 does feel like a long, long, long time ago,” Rose said on Tuesday when meeting with the media ahead of the 154th Open Championship. “I feel like there’s different iterations or editions of me as a golfer since then, so different spells of my career that I kind of chunk into probably five-, 10-year chunks. There’s been quite a few of those moments that have gone under the bridge since ’98, good and bad.”1294279David CannonThe fact the soon-to-be 46-year-old is still here—playing in his 24th Open, with four top-fives and two runners-up finishes to his credit—is a testament to his talent. But also to good fortune and perseverance. “Twenty-eight years later I’m playing in the Open Championship. I think, if I think about that, that is still that’s an amazing achievement. Just to kind of have the will to keep wanting to be here, I think, more than anything.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYet as time marches on, opportunities to win the tournament he prizes the most are on the wane. And so this week at Birkdale is a big deal for Rose. Enough so that he acknowledged he’ll be rooting for a reasonable bedtime while rooting for England in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday with a 9:36 a.m. tee time awaiting on Thursday with Russell Henley and Viktor Hovland.“Obviously we’re going to be watching. But at the same time, I’m going to watch it with an eye on what’s important for me as well and not get too high and low and keep my own emotions in check. We’ve got big things as well to do this week, but at the same time, it’s a match where if you think that you’re not going to watch it, you’re probably kidding yourself. … I’ll be rooting the boys on, but at the same time, trying to make sure I’m able to sort of rest up pretty soon after the match.”More From Golf Digest British Open Preview British Open 2026: Your vibes-only guide to the top 41 contenders at Birkdale British Open British Open 2026: It appears we’re in for a firm, fast, old-school Open at Royal Birkdale British Open 2026 British Open 2026: Jordan Spieth defiant about returning to the form that fueled his Birkdale triumph AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRose says his extended career has been fueled by two ideas: curiosity and competition.“I’m not really sure what I’m capable of achieving, but I’m competitive, so I’m going to give it a go,” Rose said. “I try to be very process driven as well. What are the areas of my game? What are the gaps that I can fill? And I still see plenty. So that’s kind of motivating.”Also motivating is th