Rose held his composure to end England’s long wait for a major

It was somewhat apt that the English drought in majors would come down to a duel befitting of a Ryder Cup.

Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson played out one of the more enthralling of singles contests at last year’s match at Medinah, when relentless quality met with selfless sportsmanship.

When Rose holed an improbable putt along the 17th green to help turn such a pivotal match for Jose Maria Olazabal’s men, Mickelson greeted the blow with a congratulatory nod to his adversary.

On Sunday night at Merion – a course littered with risk-reward holes worthy of a Ryder Cup – Mickelson holed his second shot on the 10th hole for eagle to leapfrog Rose at the top of the 
US Open leaderboard.

It was a matchplay-sized momentum shift. But the advantage, though, was seized once more by Rose, who birdied the 12th and 13th.

Such a gutsy response gave the 32-year-old Englishman a lead he would not relinquish, no matter the will of the crowd as they rooted for Mickelson, no matter how treacherous were the closing five holes.

Rose dropped shots on the 14th and 16th but it was the manner with which he played the final two, in level par, that set him apart as England’s first major champion for 17 years, and the country’s first US Open winner since Tony Jacklin in 1970.

For so long this generation of promise in the aftermath of the Nick Faldo era have come close to following in his major-winning footsteps without meriting the distribution of cigars.

Fearless and almost unbeatable in leading Europe to an era of Ryder Cup dominance, the likes of Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey have repeatedly come up short in the defining strokeplay tournaments.

Rose has had his own fair share of near misses, notably at Augusta in 2007, since the day he burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced teenager at Birkdale in the Open, 15 years ago.

There was always hope for a prosperous future for the eager teenager when he holed his shot from the rough on the 72nd hole to finish as the high amateur in a tie for fourth.

The road to major success has not been easy, with 21 successive missed cuts at the start of his professional career providing the toughest of baptisms.

The death of his father and mentor Ken, whom he saluted on Sunday after holing his final putt from a matter of inches, shook him, and even though he won four times around the world in what was a bitter-sweet 2002, Rose’s true breakthrough would not come until he approached 30.

Since 2010, he has been a regular winner in America and went to Merion in control of not only his game but his mental approach.

He said in the build-up to the US Open that he felt ready to win and he proved that beyond doubt over those closing holes when his nerve held and his swing remained true. At the end, he was overcome with emotion.

“You saw me look to the heavens with it being Father’s Day – I was just trying to remember my dad,” said Rose.

“A lot of us come from great men and it was important for me to carry myself and do myself proud on this day.

“I saw my ball in the fairway and I thought ‘this is my moment’.

“I have seen that Ben Hogan photograph a million times and suddenly it was me with an iron into the fairway and two putts to win the US Open.”

As well as his father, Rose took inspiration from Adam Scott, another 32-year-old who belatedly took the mighty leap into the major winners’ circle at Augusta two months ago, and from his coach, Sean Foley.

But all the credit should go to Rose, who is one of the most pleasant, engaging and hard-working players on tour.

From the earnest, ambitious teenager of 15 years ago, through a Ryder Cup triumph, to the man who ended the agonising wait for an English major champion, Justin Rose has come of age.