BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 8, 2021

Justin Rose

Wentworth Golf Club

Press Conference

BRIONY CARLYON: Warm welcome back to Wentworth club this week for the BMW PGA Championship. Just your thoughts on being back at a Rolex Series Event and playing in front of home fans again this week.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, obviously it's been a stunning start to the week with the weather and obviously people have turned out today. I think it feels like sort of Wentworth of old from that point of view, people are really excited to be out.

It's an event that I've always loved coming back to play because of the support that you get, sort of for me this feels like my sort of local boyhood home tournament, one that I dreamt about playing as a young boy and obviously one day having an opportunity to win. Haven't managed the last part yet but I've been close a few times.

Yeah really nice to be back at Wentworth with what feels like full crowds and the sun shining.

Q. Haven't seen you for a few weeks. Can you tell us what you've been up to since Wyndham?

JUSTIN ROSE: So Wyndham, came back sort of immediately got into practice mode. Just wanted to try to keep up the momentum I felt like I gained there on my game. I had to head back to the States for the Payne Stewart Award that I was very kindly given, which was great but also put a bit of dent in the salute preparation for this. Turned into a five-day trip and what-have-you. I've had all attention on this. And working on my game really.

Q. And the inevitable Ryder Cup question, big week, the last counting event. How are you feeling about your position and would you like to win and go ahead in and make Pádraig's job easier?

JUSTIN ROSE: The last time I felt like I should have been picked, I didn't get picked so you never want to rely on it. You put yourself in that position and you have to deal with the consequences but absolutely I do still have a rode into the team and I may as well focus on that being Wednesday, it's the clear objective and it's an easy objective and it's win or bust and I'm not relying on other results and things like that. So yeah, that's Plan A.

Q. What's Plan B?

JUSTIN ROSE: To show enough form that I'm playing well and can be relied upon. At that point you hope that your record speaks for yourself and your experience in the tournament and the fact that you've been a valuable team member in the past and that's Plan B.

Q. Pádraig was saying yesterday, he thought Sergio and Poults were in pole position for wild cards.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that's fair enough. Those guys have played solidly. They have been playing consistently. Putting in enough good putts for the captain to at least know that their games are there, and they have both been inspirational in The Ryder Cup.

I think that it's very hard to expect a player to pull his game out of the ashes just because it's the Ryder Cup, so you want to have a player that's had a level of form but both those guys, obviously prolific points winners in the past and great for the team. As long as their A- to B+ game, absolutely they are going to be relied upon.

Q. How difficult is it, ego-wise, for want of a better word, so long at this stage?

JUSTIN ROSE: Obviously I haven't played great for a couple of years and it's a two-year process to get into this tournament. That's the way it is. I feel upbeat about where I'm at and upbeat about my long-term objectives and Ryder Cup is a goal always.

Yeah, like I said, I still feel upbeat about where I'm going rather than where I've been. Where I've been has not been that much fun for 18 months, and the situation I'm in in The Ryder Cup is a byproduct of those 18 months, but I don't feel like it has a huge bearing on my run coming up.

Q. Why upbeat for the next months? Is there something that's happened?

JUSTIN ROSE: Just refocused I think a little bit. And sometimes not playing well for a while, kind of makes you question if you're fed up with it all, or if actually, no, I quite like playing well and I need to do what it takes to play well, and just reassess why you haven't played well. I think for me it's getting back to some basics.

I feel like I've gone down the wrong path of a couple of elements of my swing, and more importantly I think that I lost a little bit of that mastery mindset of actually just really focusing on the task at hand and results came so easily for a while that you got sucked into thinking that it was about results. Playing for results has never been my sort of M.O.

Just kind of getting back to what's worked for me, and having the energy to do that. It's all very well to say that but actually practicing a little bit more intently rather than just doing the hours. Doing the hours with intention and I think that take sometimes just a bit of inspiration.

Q. Have you moved back over here and will that settle in the process?

JUSTIN ROSE: We're in that stage, as well, different stages of life. It's obviously a little bid more kid focused now and whatever's right for them, not necessarily 100 per cent what is only right for me and my career. I think that balance has been kind of happening slowly for two years, and there's been some sacrifices involved in that here and there.

But I feel very settled and very clear on where we all are and I think it suits everybody in the family. I feel like yeah, there's a nice path and avenue for me to now build upon again or build from again.

Q. How would you describe where your game is at? Had the target of The Ryder Cup been helpful in the short term?

JUSTIN ROSE: It hasn't been a target in the sense of I've been trying to get my game going in the right direction, and I've always felt like if I'm playing well, I'm going to then that's going to take care of ourselves. That's been Objective a. I haven't tried to put extra pressure on myself because it's not valuable or helpful. I had enough pressure with the FedExCup trying to get into that and the 125, that was Objective a and obviously once that was over, then yeah, the next clear objective is obviously Ryder Cup but there hasn't been.

I could have gone to Crans or Italy, but the Payne Stewart Award and I had too many factors involved, and I had to focus on my game and let everything else take care of itself.

Q. What is it about Wentworth that suits your game and also what memories do you have?

JUSTIN ROSE: I can't even remember if I've gone close with the modern Wentworth or the old Wentworth. I think both, actually. Came close, lost in a playoff to Anders Hanson and then yeah, I think I came close to Luke one year when it had been remodelled and revamped.

How does it suit my game? I think the way it's playing right now is it's quite a strategic golf course. Not many drivers out there. Have to be quite patient off the tee. Put the ball in play. Greens getting firm. You've got to be quite on point with your iron play and stuff like that.

So yeah, I think from a strategy point of view it's going to play tricky and hopefully experience counts from that point of view. I think there's the advantage. The rest comes down to, can you do it, execution.