	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

TURKISH AIRLINES OPEN

November 8, 2019

Justin Rose

Antalya, Turkey

Q. Your second consecutive 67. You were very pleased with yesterday, ground out a good score. How about today?
JUSTIN ROSE: I thought the course was more gettable today. The pins were easier I thought. The greens seemed smoother, as well. Not as good a 67 I would say, but I had to be patient in the middle of the round. I felt like it stalled out there pretty good for a few holes.

And I was aware the leaderboard, there were a lot of guys queueing up, which is all very well if one guy gets it going. But when you see the whole field condensing in there around 10-under, I knew I had to at least make a few birdies coming in, but that's what I did.

To birdie three of the last four maybe, was it, is it good finish. Keeps me -- I'm just looking for that one round where I kind of can click and get it all going. Yeah, decent round.

Q. Sometimes when your rounds have stalled in the past, you said to me, I play a little game against me and say I'm 2-down in match play and need to win. Did you do something like that today?
JUSTIN ROSE: I went back to the well, yeah. Today I used that strategy. I was 3-down so I tied my match. Good birdie on 18 to tie with the course. Actually 18 was kind of cool. I was on the crosswalk there and I was able to take it back from 121 to 127, which is my perfect gap wedge number. That was kind of a nice stroke of fortune, I suppose.

But it's nice to sort of capitalise on little moments like that. For my ball not to be in the bush on 18 was very lucky. I felt like I could have easily walked off there with a six, but to make four kind of makes up for a few other things today.

Q. The dream of winning three times in a row is still alive. Does that add a little spice to the weekend? It's very special to have the chance to do it.
JUSTIN ROSE: I put myself in position. The dream is alive, no doubt. To win a tournament -- I've probably been in worse positions than this.

Last year I was in way worse shape after two rounds and just got it going on the weekend. I don't feel like I've got it going yet. Maybe some of the other guys on the leaderboard have got it going and feel like they have played there couple of good rounds, whereas I don't feel like I've got to that point yet. I've worked hard to be in a position.

Doesn't mean it's going to come tomorrow or the next day but very rarely -- it's hard to play four perfect rounds. So if I can build from here, obviously that would be a great place to be.

Q. How would you assess day two?
JUSTIN ROSE: It's decent. The course I felt was playing easier today than it did yesterday. I thought pins were more accessible, a few more in bowls and what have you. Greens possibly held up a little better.

Maybe I was half an hour of where I was yesterday in play in terms of traffic, but I felt like you could maybe make a couple more putts today, too. I felt like 67 today maybe wasn't as good as yesterday's 67, but it does the job. It keeps me within a shot of the lead, and you know, hopefully can go out and find a round over the weekend where I can kind of click and get everything going.

Q. How are you feeling compared to the last two years at the midpoint of this tournament?
JUSTIN ROSE: My memories have sort of morphed into one a little bit. Last year I wasn't in particularly great shape after two days and really got it going on the weekend and played a good Saturday and had to go low on Sunday as well to win.

It's going to be much more the same this week. To win this tournament, you're probably going to have to shoot a couple 65s on the weekend. 22-ish is what I thought might win this tournament. Might be north of that. The par 5s are great opportunities around here, so there's a lot of cheap birdies.

But today I didn't feel like I made as many mistakes and the only mistake I made was a three-putt bogey, which is unlike me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297