BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 10, 2021

Justin Rose

Wentworth Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Happy are you with things at the halfway stage?

JUSTIN ROSE: Really happy. Had a lot more birdie chances. I had a lot yesterday but the putter was just a little bit off today and I had to fight that little bit and had to make a few little adjustments with my posture I felt coming in, and to be honest I made a little putt on 15, momentum, and made one on 18. Hopefully I righted the ship and can ride that into the weekend. But put myself in great position now.

Q. You have a friend on the bag this week. How is the experience of having the spectators been?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it's a really nice experience. Keeps me calm. No point getting frustrated with him because he's out there were moral support. I feel like I'm taking charge of the situation out there which is what I have to do this week. That's been a nice dynamic to this point. Hearing things like that on 18 (big roar), nice to have here at Wentworth.

Q. Are you trying to ignore that a win could get you on the team or is that motivating?

JUSTIN ROSE: It's motivating me but it's not going to help me play better by thinking about it too much. I've got a job to do on the golf course as I always try to do and sometimes you do a better job blocking things out than other times. At least I'm in the tournament now where I can focus on that being the goal without The Ryder Cup being a part of that.

It would be more frustrating if there were other scenarios in play, like a Top-10, something to cloud the judgment.

Q. 67 followed by a 68, give us your assessment of that?

JUSTIN ROSE: I haven't really got my head around that round because it felt frustrating. I felt like I had loads and loads of birdie opportunities today. The last few greens, last four greens, I made a nice momentum-keeper on 15 and hit a couple of better putts on 16, 17, and holed a great one on 18. Momentum-wise, take that into the weekend not feeling like I've left too many out there. There was six, seven, eight opportunities to make putts and obviously you're not going to make all of them but on a nice day you make three or four of those. Left a few out there but in good shape.

Q. Two bogeys you made, you bounced back straightaway. How important is that?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah really important. I saw Adam as well do that in his round. That's what you have to do. You just have to stay pretty level, and you know this golf course is going to give you some chances at certain times and yeah, you are going to make the occasional mistake.

The three-putt on 13, that was just a bit inexcusable but at the same time got up on the next hole and hit a good iron shot. Felt like I couldn't quite stretch the 8-iron out up that hill so I played my own game with a 7. Even off the back of a three-putt I was making good mental decisions after that. When you get going, the momentum is amazing and the crowd pulls you along, and when putts are not falling, you try not to feed off the fact that they are frustrated for you.

Q. Good golf at the weekend will take care of what everyone is talking about this week.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, absolutely. It's almost a good scenario for me. It's not like if I finish third or fifth; if there was another option in play it would be maybe distracting. It's really not distracting. I'm trying to win this tournament anyway and trying to get in The Ryder Cup anyway. It's one and the same objective.