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June 28, 2014
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
Q. Bogey on 18 stings a little bit but this golf course got really tough today, didn't it?
JUSTIN ROSE: It did. I drove the ball incredibly well today and gave myself an opportunity to keep playing well. I missed the fairway right at 11 which ended up being a double-bogey and missed right on 18. Those were the only two poor swings and didn't get much out of those holes, a double-bogey and then the bogey at 18. I knew that after a frustrating run through the middle of my round, I knew I was still in the golf tournament and I birdied 16 and 17, which felt good and got me right where I needed to be. Whether you're one back or two back going into tomorrow, I'm right there and good round of golf tomorrow. It's going to be required if you're one or two back.
Q. How did the golf course change?
JUSTIN ROSE: It changed a lot. I think obviously there were some scores this morning and the course is obviously playable. The only fear I have is it's such a bunched leaderboard that if they dump some water on the golf course and we still get a hot day like we did today, someone could really come out early tomorrow and post a number, which I think won't really suit the leaders too much. Obviously I'd be a fan of them letting them go a little bit and making this a tough tournament and sort of having another U.S. Open I feel like. That would be my wish right now. But obviously the course is firm. Wedges were releasing ten yards by the end of the day. It's definitely a test. It was fun. I enjoy that type of golf.
Q. On a day where even par moves you up the board, how do you feel about that?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that's what I've said all week that I enjoy about this golf course is that par is often a good score, and it became a really good score this afternoon. Greens really firmed up and got pretty quick around the Cup, and definitely if you missed in the wrong spot, you almost had no chance of getting it up-and-down. Yeah, that was fun from that perspective. It was definitely, yeah, bad shots, you couldn't get away with much out there. As we saw, our leaders didn't do much this afternoon. Some guys made a run this morning. I don't know if there was a bit more moisture on the golf course and that's obviously condensed the field up pretty tight. If something similar happens tomorrow and there's a bunch of water down on the golf course early, someone can make a run and the leaders might have a tougher time bringing it home.
Q. Since the U.S. Open, you haven't won; does that enter your mind on a night like this where you're right up there?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that's a longer spell than I'd like but I've had chances. It's not like this is the first chance I've had for a while, so not really, and I'll have a chance in the near future again, too. So I'll just focus on my game and focus on how I'm playing and I know that if I'm playing well, I'll create plenty of chances. I feel like my season is only really beginning to get going. I feel comfortable with my game for the first time and so I'm not putting too much pressure on myself from that perspective.
Q. Not that you're necessarily paying attention when you're out there, but when you go into a Sunday and the top of that leaderboard is jumbled, is it any different than if you're chasing one guy?
JUSTIN ROSE: You know you have to play a great round of golf. If you're chasing one guy, for example, the U.S. Open, everyone has hoping for a little bit of help from Kaymer but obviously no one got that. When you know that someone within two or three shots of the lead tomorrow is going to play well, so that means for me, I need to go and play a great round of golf tomorrow.
Q. The 11th hole, it's already a tough hole, but is it the kind of thing where if you miss the fairway, you kind of know you're in trouble and there's really no bail-out on it?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it's that kind of golf hole and obviously there's a hazard down the right. If you hit a poor drive, you should try to be limiting of damage and make five, and I think that's where I tried to make a mistake today. I tried to advance the ball too far from being out of position and hit it into the bunker where you really couldn't hit it, and I ended up making double-bogey. So my only frustration was not accepting that it's a tough hole and maybe just playing for five.
Q. What did you have 16 and 17? And then take us down 18, your last three holes.
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I was back to 2-under by the looks of the leaderboard and five was leading and so I knew I was still right in the tournament. Made a good up-and-down at 16 and birdied 17. I felt like I was really competing well. Disappointing to finish like that at the last. It's a little challenging when they put the tees back and forth, and back and forth, because the line changes about 20 yards on 18. And from the up tee, you have to really aim it a long way left, uncomfortably left. You feel like you're hitting it down the left tree line to keep it in the fairway. So I just bailed out a little bit. I kind of knew it as soon as it came off the club, long bounce through the fairway, and then again, once you're in the right rough, you're always a bit worried about the ball coming out left. Obviously I did probably the normal thing, hit it in the right bunker and that bunker shot was just extremely quick. Yeah, I'd loved to have finished with a par but at the same time, I've got a good chance tomorrow.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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