The trend of late is for marquee golfers to make "soft" launches to start the competitive calendar years, waiting a few weeks (or sometimes longer) before finally making their debuts. For Justin Rose, however, the delay in starting his 2014 campaign isn't the byproduct of the reigning U.S. Open champion trying to stretch out his offseason.
The 33-year-old Englishman, No. 4 on the Official World Golf Ranking, has been diagnosed with a mild case of tendinitis in his right shoulder, according to his agent, Mark Steinberg. As a result, he has decided to pull out of the European Tour's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance open.
According to Steinberg, doctors attribute the injury to his extended schedule of play toward the end of 2013 and say some additional rest should be all that's necessary for Rose to make his return. The target date is now February.
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