Let no one accuse Justin Rose of lacking determination.

On Sunday, the 21-year-old won his maiden professional title at the European Tour's Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg, three-and-a-half agonising years after he shot to fame by finishing joint fourth at the Open.

During that time Rose, who turned professional the day after that glorious achievement at Royal Birkdale, missed 21 successive cuts and made three trips to the European Tour's qualifying school.

As if that was not enough, his father, mentor and former coach Ken Rose developed leukaemia, which prevented him from being at Houghton Golf Club to witness his son's first title.

"This win is for my dad more than anyone. He is the guy to whom I owe most," said Rose junior immediately after carding a seven-under-par 65 to win by two strokes at 20-under 268.

His father and mother Annie watched at home in Hampshire, although other family members did make it to South Africa.

"To win in front of my brother and grandparents was just awesome, but I just wish my mum and dad had been here and that would have been the full set," he said.

"My mum was in tears when I spoke to her but this win is certainly for my dad more than anyone."

Ken introduced his son to the game when he thrust a plastic golf club into Justin's hands at the tender age of 11 months.

Rose took to the game quickly, and broke 70 for the first time at the tender age of 11. By this time he was living in Hampshire, where his family had moved to from South Africa six years before.

At 14, he was playing off a handicap of plus three and, aged 17, he represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup amateur team competition.

Throughout this time, Ken was his only coach but, in early 1998, Justin began working with the world-renowned David Leadbetter, who has guided the likes of Nick Faldo and Nick Price.

This paid dividends when he took the golfing world by storm at Royal Birkdale - but that merely sparked a terrible spell in his career.

Finally last year he impressively ended 33rd on the European money list.

"I did feel under a lot of pressure to make my first cut and it felt like trying to win a tournament every week," Rose said.