The Englishman gave himself the former grade for his efforts prior to October, but that he's up to A- following two wins in succession which have him on the heels of leader Tommy Fleetwood.
In truth, 2017 will always be remembered as the year Rose should have won the Masters, and not even a second money list will rid him of that memory, but there's little doubt that things are looking all the brighter following trademark victories in first the WGC-HSBC Champions, then the Turkish Airlines Open.
A third here would see Rose steal the season-long title from Fleetwood, who has been the man to catch since taking the first event of 2017. Yet Rose will feel no guilt - this is a tournament which owes him one, after all, having led by two playing the final hole in 2012, where he made birdie, only then to watch as an irrepressible Rory McIlroy turned on the afterburners to reel him in.
Encouragingly for Rose backers, he has also done something similar before. Ten years ago, he won the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama to overtake Ernie Els and steal what was the Order of Merit. There are many who will expect history to repeat in these altogether different surroundings.