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BUICK CHAMPIONSHIP

August 27, 2005

Justin Rose

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'd like to welcome the 54 hole leader to the Buick Championship, Justin Rose. Congratulations, you are also the winner of the CRESTOR Charity Challenge this week. D&A Healthcare will receive $50,000 in your name along with CRESTOR, the Buick Championship, and the Greater Hartford Jaycees. Congratulations. Maybe we can get some comments on the PGA TOUR and the charity aspect, the drive to raise one billion dollars, and each week we raise a couple million dollars.

JUSTIN ROSE: Sure, I mean, there's no doubt every single player is very much aware of how much the PGA TOUR does for local charities when we go to places and also much, much bigger charities, too.

Yeah, it's nice for me, as I say, all of us realize how important it is and we all feel very much a part of it. But to physically be able to have my 50,000, if you like, go towards it, it's a nice feeling. I think it's tremendous what CRESTOR does and everybody else who contributes.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You'll receive $50,000 to give to a charity of your choice, so works out great for everyone.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, sure. That's incredibly generous and I'll obviously choose very carefully.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Your round today, four birdies, four bogeys but you've still got a one shot lead over Ben heading into the final round. Some comments about your round today?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I think all in all I'm very happy to still be in front. It was a tricky day out there. Got off to a slow start. I felt like sort of mentally I had to grind my way and fight my way back into it. Even though I was still leading or thereabouts, I had to work hard today and I'm pretty pleased to come out on top still.

Q. How were you going to maintain inaudible?

JUSTIN ROSE: I was aware that I was kind of obviously still leading because it was tricky out there, nobody had gone deep other than Ben who was playing very nicely. It wasn't a sense that I wasn't trying to hang onto that lead. As I said yesterday, just trying to get something out of the golf course today. Really just trying to hang around par really and try to get into the red over the last couple of holes was really my mindset.

Q. Was it your game inaudible?

JUSTIN ROSE: I would say mainly the conditions for sure. I think it was tougher to get the ball close to the hole today. With the wind blowing all day, by the time obviously the leaders get out there, it does tend to firm up quite a lot. I would say the conditions were definitely a few shots tougher, a good couple shots tougher today. Obviously can't shoot 65 every day, so happy to hang in.

Q. A big momentum swing against you; happy to just get out?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I was very, very happy to walk to the next hole there with bogey. First and foremost I said to myself, just get it out. At least I had a clean swing. When I hit it down there, you could be up against a tree, anything could happen down there but I was lucky enough to be able to have a clean swing at it and making bogey was a good option right there.

Q. And 17?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I hit it great. I really liked my second shot there, the exact line I wanted to hit it on. Ben, he was much further back than me. The green looked firm. At the top of his flight it backed like it was going to pitch around pin high, bounce and spin down left and didn't do that. Ended up having to make a good up and down. Had a nasty little lie in the rough but managed to hole the putt.

Q. Inaudible?

JUSTIN ROSE: I try to make a point of saying to myself, well, listen, it's out of the way now, don't have to worry about not making a bogey now.

I should have made birdie at the second. I hit it to like three or four feet there and rimmed the putt out. It would have been nice to make that one straightaway after making bogey on the first to balance the books.

I felt like the third, I ended up making a good par there, and I felt like that kind of steadied the ship.

I had a terrible 3 putt really at 5. I hit a good shot in there, and was really struggling to gauge the speed of the greens at that point. They looked quicker to me than they were rolling.

I had pretty easy putts the first five holes and then a really tough putt on 6, like a big swinging left to right 8 footer and holed that one which was huge.

Missed the green left on 7. Then 3 wood up the bank which disappeared on me. That was big as well. Then I felt, again, I felt very comfortable and in control.

Q. With the conditions the way they were, were you surprised that only a handful of guys made up ground today?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, a lot of those guys were all in the morning, Darren Stiles, guys who teed off early. It looked to me like it was still pretty breezy in the morning, but I don't know what the difference was. Certainly out of the last I guess four, five, six groups nobody did anything. I was aware of that and it made me feel better about kind of having to scrap for pars.

Q. Inaudible?

JUSTIN ROSE: No, find it's a shot that I've got more into playing over here in America. Because often the collars around the greens are thicker; therefore, the ball tends to sit down in them. When you're hitting a lob wedge, you can't compress the ball. So the wood seems to like almost brush the grass over before you hit the ball; and therefore, make clean contact.

The reason I'm using that one, the putter the ball just comes off a bit quicker off a 3 wood than a putter. And when you go up a big hill, the fact the ball comes off a bit faster off the club helps you get up the hill. That was my logic.

Q. How far was that?

JUSTIN ROSE: Probably 25 feet from the hole.

Q. What do you take from past chances into tomorrow?

JUSTIN ROSE: I've never had a legitimate chance to win here. I've had a few top 5s but I felt like I've never really had a grasp of the lead or a real chance to win. So, yeah, tomorrow is my first go at it I feel, and hey, I'm looking forward to it. I've had the lead now for 27 holes pretty much, and definitely beginning to feel comfortable with it. Hopefully that will stand me in very good stead for tomorrow.

Q. How big would a win be?

JUSTIN ROSE: It would be huge. It would be big for me. I feel like if it's not this week, it's around the corner. I'm beginning to play really nicely. In terms of not putting too much pressure on myself, that's my attitude. It's not going to be last time I'm ever going to have a chance to win a tournament. But for now, yeah, it would be a big kick start for me.

Q. Inaudible?

JUSTIN ROSE: Off the top of my head, I don't know. I've been within a few shots maybe, two or three shots probably.

Q. With Ben is there a rivalry building there?

JUSTIN ROSE: Wasn't a lot of time we spent there. We both worked hard on our game this career and I think for both of us it's beginning to playoff. Yeah, there definitely is a friendship there. We work with the same trainer. We see a lot of each other around the course and from week to week. Yeah, we're friends and he's building a house I believe at Lake Nona where I am, and he's a good guy. I think it was nice playing with him today.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We went through the holes on the front side, if we can touch on the back side. On 10 there when you were in the woods, what did you hit there?

JUSTIN ROSE: I hit a lob wedge, sort of like a bunker shot almost.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Came back with a birdie on 12, the par 4.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah that, was probably my best shot of the day was a little knock down 9 iron I hit in there from 119 yards to about three feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 14, bogey.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I was on the right side of the fairway, I had to come in over that bunker and there are sort of big trees around the back of the green there. So I figured the wind wasn't going to get it as much. Hit what I thought was a nice shot and the wind got it more than I wanted it and came up short, had about eight feet for par.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: What did you hit?

JUSTIN ROSE: I hit 7 iron from 158.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Came back with a birdie on 18.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that was nice to make a putt there. Yeah it's a tricky hole. If you're not on the middle of the green, it's a tough up and down from anywhere on that green. I missed it right, chipped up to eight feet there or ten feet and made a nice putt.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 3 wood off the tee?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah. You're better off chipping from the left side, but obviously the left side is the water.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 18, good birdie opportunity there for both you and Ben.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, we both hit really good putts. Either one of them could have dropped.

Q. Inaudible:

JUSTIN ROSE: It was a really unfortunately I didn't think far enough ahead. I hit my tee shot on the right hand side of the fairway which from the tee is a sensible play. But the trees all down the right hand side, it kind of gives you a feeling like you have to hit it down the left. I was trying to hold in a 6 iron and the wind was off the right, and just didn't hold it enough. Basically my angle was coming across the green little right to left and with the wind right to left, it was a pretty tough shot. My ball was on an upslope in the fairway, too, which is easy to turn it over. It's a tough shot and didn't quite execute the way I wanted to.

Q. How far?

JUSTIN ROSE: That was probably ten yards down in there. I was happy with five. As I say, it was five and run.

Q. Has it been a difficult transition playing in America?

JUSTIN ROSE: I wouldn't say difficult. I mean, I enjoy America. I find America an easy place to spend time. I feel like I'm just beginning to find my feet a little bit now. We've moved into a house over here. We've been building a house for quite a while which is a tough process. Now that it's all done and dusted, I feel a lot more settled. I think it's beginning to, hopefully, yeah. It's one of those things that it's tough to putt a finger on whether you're more comfortable off the golf course whether it helps you on the golf course, but it must do, so I hope so.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Justin Rose, thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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