Q&A: Justin Rose on PGA Tour Scheduling, the Majors and Sunscreen

The Englishman shared with Sports Illustrated his thoughts on a new Tour schedule, the Players’ major status and how he guards himself under the sun.

Justin Rose takes his sun protection seriously, especially at age 45 with a lifetime spent outside playing golf. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

One thing pro and amateur golfers have in common is the need to protect themselves from the sun, and both can do so with the same equipment.

The PGA Tour has a new partnership with Supergoop!, a leader in lightweight, sweat-resistant SPF formulas designed for long days outdoors, and 13-time Tour winner Justin Rose is its newest ambassador.

The Englishman took a few moments Tuesday at Bay Hill to talk to Sports Illustrated about his sun-protection habits as well as a couple hot topics on Tour.

Sports Illustrated: You’ve got two weeks of Florida golf ahead, and you used to live in Florida. What are your best tips for protecting yourself in the famous Florida sun?

Justin Rose: You can’t be too young to start putting on sunscreen. I remember [as a kid] being out there playing 36 holes a day in the summer, carrying my own clubs then getting home in the evening and my ears would be crispy and peeling. They do stick out a little bit under my hat unfortunately, that’s something I can’t do much about other than put on sunscreen. One of my quirks now is that the first place I apply my sunscreen is my ears, and I work from there.

It’s part of my routine, part of my everyday, more than once a day now. Shower, sunscreen, out the door. Then at the golf course for eight to 10 hours a day, after lunch reapply. I’m very conscious of it. It’s a huge part of trying to protect yourself playing an outdoor sport. We typically follow the sun as a tour, so we’re in an environment where that is definitely a huge challenge.

Justin Rose keeps Supergoop! Play sunscreen in his bag at all times. | Courtesy of Supergoop!

SI: So would you call yourself an early adopter? Like you said, you were aware of the crispy ears as a kid.

JR: It’s something I’ve paid attention to for sure. I’m 45 now, I’m beginning to see the sun damage from over the years, I’m more conscious of it now. The thing I’m even more conscious of is using quality sunscreens, high factors and definitely reapplying. Those are the additions I’ve made through the years. And just recently discovering new products as well that make you want to reapply more often, stuff that feels good. Supergoop! has been amazing, the stuff I’m using on Tour.

SI: Speaking of following the sun, there’s been so much talk about schedules and scarcity and how things might change—if you were the boss for a day, what would the Tour schedule in 2027 look like?

JR: I like the idea of trimming the time a little bit. I’d play some of our West Coast stuff a little later in the year to really benefit from the weather, January and February is hit-and-miss for the rain and what-have-you. I like the end of February to the end of August as a concept.

More importantly I’d like that there’s good playing opportunities for the whole membership, whether that be 100 or 120 guys playing tournaments with a cut and each tournament having the same weighting—the same amount of points, same amount of money, so you can build a schedule that suits your own rhythm, the courses you like to play, your family dynamics where you don’t feel pressured into having to play these pockets of tournaments that give you opportunities to earn a lot of points.

The season is condensed—that’s how other sports are, you play hard for six to eight months and then get your time off. In golf, it’s been more like trying to learn our rhythms over an 11-month period. I think a lot of us would make some sacrifices to play hard for six to eight months and take time on the back end.

Justin Rose said he'd like to see a more condensed PGA Tour schedule, in theory taking advantage of the most sun. | Stan Badz/Getty Images

SI: Right now you’re in a stretch of four events in five weeks, two are legacy signatures plus the Players. Would you spread those out?

JR: If all tournaments had a similar structure, you could spread them out. Right now what they’re trying to do is block these big tournaments together so it’s easier for the top players to play them in groups. If every tournament was worthy of being seen as a big event, you’d see players play in the rhythms that suit them. To have every (top) player play every tournament all the time, it creates an “A” and a “B” schedule and gives this scenario where you’ve made it to the PGA Tour but you haven’t really made it to the PGA Tour. The more we can get back to a consistent product that’s easy to follow for everybody, that will benefit not just the top players but the whole membership.

SI: If I opened your bag right now, what would I see as far as sun protection?

JR: I’ve got the Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen, which I love because I can just throw it on and it’s got this cool, almost dry feel to it—I can apply it quite liberally and I don’t really feel like my hands need a ton of wiping down afterwards. The Play, the everyday sunscreen/everyday face lotion is great, that’s a more traditional white, milky-looking sunscreen that rubs in beautifully as well. Those are the two that I have in my golf bag at all times.

SI: Do you think that tour players in general are better at sun protection than they were 20 years ago?

JR: I would say so. The guys are in better shape, so maybe there’s a bit more vanity out there. I see guys in the locker room, first thing before they’re heading out for the day, or in the fitness truck, wherever there’s a mirror, they’re applying sunscreen. It’s a huge part of the day.

SI: The Players Championship: major or no?

JR: I’m traditional in my thinking. But the Players has its own great history and the Tour has done a great job in terms of elevating the event and really building it up into one of the best golf tournaments, whether it’s a major championship or not. The investment in the fan experience and the whole property at TPC Sawgrass gives it a stature of being, let’s just call it one of the top events in the world. Maybe better than some of the majors, to be honest with you. But I don’t think it needs major-championship status to be recognized as one of the best tournaments in the world.