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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 8, 2018

Justin Rose

Carmel, Indiana

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome the 54-hole leader of the BMW Championship, Justin Rose, he's 17-under. Great day today, 6-under 64. Just a few comments on the position you're in as we hopefully start tomorrow morning with the final round.

JUSTIN ROSE: Hopefully. Yeah, obviously good day today. It was a day where I maybe didn't feel like I actually played that well, to be honest with you but a good day of scoring.

Going on the front-9 managed to take advantage of all the holes where I had wedges in my hand and just made a couple of putts here and there and kind of felt like tomorrow's weather the edge of it was just beginning to feel like it was coming in towards the end of the round, the wind was picking up. Playing certainly the last couple holes it was about just get into the clubhouse, really. All the damage for me was on the front-9 and couldn't make a lot happen on the back-9. Didn't hit enough fairways, I felt, to really give myself too many looks.

DOUG MILNE: I imagine you've been asked this question, how much is the 2010 victory, how much has that been able to carry you despite 8 years removed from that?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, obviously just this area has been good to me to with Merion down the road and obviously the golf fans that came out today, they were very aware of how I have played here in the area.

They kind of give me a lot of support because of that and I think there's a lot of good vibes because I have played well in the vicinity. Yeah, the golf course played very differently the last time I won in 2010. I think 10-under par I won with. Definitely a tougher test than we're facing this week with the conditions. Yeah, same venue but maybe different type of approach.

DOUG MILNE: With that, we'll take a few questions.

Q. The par save late there from the edge of the bunker, how tough was that?
JUSTIN ROSE: It was a fun shot but not really where I wanted to be. It was something that maybe you don't practice. Lot of improvising. It was understanding how far the ball was up and how I had to hit it, sort of how far right I had to play it and almost like flick it over my left shoulder is how the shot felt and the more loft I used the more it was going to be left on me.

I actually used my 52-degree wedge, opened it up. Kind of helped it not go as far over the shoulder when I was playing it. I was aiming probably 20 feet right of the hole and just kind of using the ball on the up-slope to come out left towards the pin. That was a fun up and down.

Q. Justin, when is the last time you were involved in a shoot-out like this? Just seems the scores are going out of control.
JUSTIN ROSE: Maybe Colonial felt like a little bit like this, par 70 golf course that was also a little bit soft. There we were 20-under there through four rounds. Felt like it was a golf course you had to keep making birdies.

If the weather was fair tomorrow then I'd say yeah, you need another round in the mid 60s. I don't quite know how tomorrow is going to play out. I don't think anyone knows what to expect. One shot at a time tomorrow.

In terms of who is behind me on the leaderboard, there's going to be guys gunning to play well and guys are going to play well tomorrow. One shot lead doesn't really mean much, doesn't change the approach tomorrow. I got to go really low and play better than the guys around me.

Q. Justin, with obviously like you said the weather coming through here the next couple of days would you take sort of a two day washout and just take where you are right now, you want to go back out there and try to win this thing in four full rounds?
JUSTIN ROSE: I'll take the two day washout, of course. That's so not expecting that. Can't sleep on that thought. Got to be to bed tonight ready for -- maybe another five minutes hoping about that but as soon as I kind of start my preparation and mindset for the tomorrow, I've got to be ready to play and come out in the morning, full game face mode tomorrow.

Q. What did you feel like the difference was between the front-9 and the back-9 for you?
JUSTIN ROSE: I thought the conditions got tougher. The wind picked up so it wasn't quite as easy. I actually did have some birdie opportunities the last four holes. 15 I had a nice chance, 16 I had a nice chance and then 18 I had a nice chance. I just hit -- I don't know if the greens slowed up a little bit. Hit weaker putts, lacking a bit of speed.

That was something that hadn't been the case on the front-9. The par at 17 was the highlight of the last few holes. 15, 16, 18, I felt like I left a couple out there possibly.

Q. Justin, is there any reason why you play so well here? Can you pinpoint it? These are more traditional courses, here and Merion.
You like that kind of course more? Is there some sort of magical elixir?

JUSTIN ROSE: There's no magic. Probably more coincidence than anything. I like traditional golf courses and this style of course. Reminds me of how I grew up playing, Heathland and Parkland golf, a mixture of that. Absolutely.

That's about the only thing I can draw towards. Yeah. Certainly now that it's kind -- actually the caddy who was with Laura Davies -- DuPont, that's not far away, is that -- the caddy with Laura Davies. He's actually a secret weapon, nothing for me.

Q. Justin, should we make anything of all the Europeans on the rising to the top few weeks before the Ryder Cup?
JUSTIN ROSE: I hope so, yeah. You know, it's good to see the boys playing well and having some form and showing that they're fresh and ready still to play a lot of golf and to play good golf at this time of year. I think everyone is grinding pretty hard to get through this run but it's nice to see the boys beginning to -- I know Rory took -- chose to take a week off. He could be fresher than most.

I've had maybe a little bit more time off than most, some of the other guys. I think it's interesting to see how many each team are playing the week before in Atlanta and that will kind of give us an idea of what team will be fresher than the other team.

Certainly -- you don't really want a fresh team, you want a team playing well. That's the most important thing. Good to see those boys playing well.

Q. Just curious, did you approach the third round at all like this could be it, like it could be shortened to 54 holes? Did that enter your mind at all?
JUSTIN ROSE: I tried not to. It was definitely in the back of your mind. You could start to feel the weather coming in and getting darker. Kind of had the feel there's some big weather coming. I said to my caddy, "How about tomorrow?" Just got to get through today and we'll have a round of golf to play tomorrow in our minds.

Absolutely I was trying to make the putt on 18 to make sure I was ahead of the field and Xander hit a good putt. It spun out. I was trying to get by today.

DOUG MILNE: Okay. Justin, thanks for your time.

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