At the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Justin Rose reflected on his first few months as McLaren Golf’s inaugural ambassador, the year he spent testing prototype irons with McLaren’s engineering team and a partnership he hopes will carry Formula 1’s obsession with marginal gains into his quest for a second major.
Take a look around the tree-lined fairways of the Wentworth Club, home of this week’s BMW PGA Championship, and you’ll see more papaya-clad spectators than you’d expect at a golf event.
But since McLaren entered the golf world in surprising fashion ahead of this year’s Miami Grand Prix, unveiling its first set of clubs and announcing its partnership with Justin Rose, the stands around the greens at the PGA and DP World Tours are starting to look a little brighter, especially at the historic site west of London where the concept of the Ryder Cup was first proposed in 1926.
Wentworth is just 15 minutes drive from the McLaren Technology Center and, as Rose also resides locally, it is as much a ‘home’ tournament for the player as it is for his new clubs.
In April, the launch of McLaren Golf, with Rose as its first global ambassador and investor, drew as expected attention both on the grid and on the greens. The 46-year-old immediately changed his clubs for the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship, also in Miami that week.
‘Looking for the finest margins’
“I love it,” says Rose, the 2013 US Open champion and 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist. Even as one of the few players on tour over 40, she continues to compete in the majors: Runners-up finishes at the 2024 Open and 2025 Masters were followed by a tie for third at Augusta in 2026.
No doubt part of Rose’s calculation in linking up with McLaren is the hope of turning those near misses into victories.
“The culture around F1 is based on fighting for the finest margins when every millisecond counts,” Rose continues. “Hopefully it’s a good spirit to bring into the golf world as well.”
He admits: “My brother is the motor enthusiast in our family,” before adding: “I could say I’m a Drive to survive car fan, but was very aware of F1 growing up.
“In the UK we have been spoiled: it has always been a sport we have been successful in, with great drivers over the years; Machine gun [Hamilton]of course, and many before him.
“But in recent years, living so close to Woking and the MTC, and being asked to sit on the McLaren advisory board, has given me a much greater appreciation of the sport. And it’s been nice getting to know Zak [Brown], Landau [Norris] and the boys. “When you know people personally, you start to pay more attention.”
Irons in the fire
Naturally, McLaren fans have embraced Rose as one of their own, with the 46-year-old joining McLaren CEO Brown for Wednesday’s pro-am event; Norris, an avid golfer, was also scheduled to play, but a sore back left him watching from the sidelines.
But even with his F1 teammates elsewhere as the first round began on Thursday, McLaren caps and polos were a regular feature among the spectators crowded near the tees and greens.
While Rose’s papaya McLaren bag has certainly turned heads since April, her new clubs have sparked the most discussion. The former world number one was instrumental in the development and testing of the prototype range of irons, working with McLaren engineers for over a year before debuting the clubs on the professional stage.
What he’s really excited about is what comes next: helping to develop McLaren Golf’s first clubs and woods, where applying the full weight of McLaren’s world-class research, design and engineering expertise will truly unlock the project’s full potential.
“The Irons project, which is the first project, is a little simpler, [but that’s] “It doesn’t mean we’re not doing anything different,” explains Rose.
“It’s great that McLaren has come to market with metal injection molded irons. It’s not necessarily a new process, but it is a new way for someone to build clubs from start to finish.
“Once we get into metal woods, fairway woods and drivers, that’s when the wind tunnel, algorithmic construction, CAD and aerodynamic science will be very valuable to us.”
Shared sports DNA
At first glance, it may seem that Formula 1 and golf live at opposite ends of the sporting spectrum; Oscar PiastriNicole’s mother Nicole once said she wished her son had pursued a career in golf or tennis because of his nerves, but she couldn’t stand in the way of his F1 dreams.
But there are parallels, especially in the mentality, concentration, problem solving and precision under pressure demanded of its protagonists. But while Norris is an avid golfer in his spare time, ask Rose if he would ever want to trade places with him or Piastri, and his answer suggests he won’t be swapping the fairways for the pit lane anytime soon.
“It’s phenomenal what they do,” Rose says. “I think we all think we’re fine behind the wheel, but then you understand where your limits are in a car, not where their limits are. It’s actually scary to see what they can do in a machine like that.
“My only experience is doing a fast lap in a McLaren, not even an F1 car. Seeing what those guys are capable of is pretty scary and inspiring. But keep it on the track!”