Rose Has HOF In Mind, Is He The Last Of A Generation?

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I'm a baseball fan and when they talk of certain players being "Hall worthy" it adds to your sense of satisfaction in watching a competitor who fans will talk about fifty years from now.

And while golf's Hall of Fame is largely a strong representation of the game's greats--with maybe a need to round out wings recognizing pioneers, architects and media the way baseball has--it's generally a solid representation of the very best to have played the game.

Which is why the inability of recent generations to throw on a jacket and tie to show their respect is so disheartening, especially as they might learn the game was played well (or better) before them. But count Justin Rose in among those using the Hall of Fame barrier as incentive to round out his career, which is still very much in his prime after two wins on top of a near-Masters win in April. But is he the last of a generation?

Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com talked with Rose about a goal of achieving HOF status.

In the short term, Rose is within four rounds of winning the European Tour’s Race to Dubai following his back-to-back victories; and another major championship is always the goal, particularly a Masters’ jacket following April’s near-miss.

But there’s an even loftier finish line for Rose, the ultimate benchmark when grading careers that transcend money lists and the kind of week-in and week-out hyperbole that can often blur the bigger picture.

“I've always said I'd like to be a Hall of Fame player, and I guess who makes that determination, I don't know, but that's kind of what I'm working towards,” Rose said. “So is that two major championships and 20 wins? I don't know what it is. Olympic gold will probably be kind of a nice bargaining chip when it comes to that.