RBC CANADIAN OPEN

June 12, 2022

Justin Rose

St. George's Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. You seemed to be playing with a little bit more joy in your game of late. Is that something you're consciously trying to do or maybe just mellowing out a little bit as you get older?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think making birdies mellows you out, do you know what I mean? That was a fun day. I've enjoyed being in Canada this week. All in all I think playing an old school golf course, it's a tournament haven't been to for awhile. I felt like the fans and the crowd and the energy the whole week's been good.

But to get off to a good start to the, holing my second shot into the first hole I felt like was a lovely lift. I was kind of able to keep the pedal to the metal today and keep the momentum going and played my way into a great position to try and win the tournament. So it was a lot of fun.

Q. Is it humanly possible to be disappointed with a 60?

JUSTIN ROSE: I'm totally disappointed, yeah. Because you know what's at stake, for sure. You're really just playing the last hole -- I never shot 59 before -- so it would have been a lovely footnote on the week. I don't know how much was in my control or not, but I could have made we were right in between two clubs and a decision and I went the wrong way on a decision and paid the price for it.

So those are the things that do happen and it's amazing how those situations present themselves right at the end. It was tricky, but all in all there's tons to take out of this week.

Q. What were those clubs that you were between?

JUSTIN ROSE: Between 8- and 9-iron. I had 159 to the pin, the wind wasn't helping, I almost felt like it kind of turned a tiny bit into me, so if it came at all soft out of that lie 9-iron wasn't going to make it. And obviously the front of that green falls off low. So I felt like we had a back board behind us and, yeah, just, once it jumped, there was no stopping it, it was through the back.

Q. You've gone low obviously enough times in your career, but when did you realize it was starting to go like that and did you try to shut your mind off or sort of let yourself think about a 59?

JUSTIN ROSE: I good shot calmer and calmer and calmer actually as it presented itself. I felt like making eagle at number 11, birdieing No. 12, I started to get some butterflies because I felt like I was right in the golf tournament. And then the moment I sort of eagled 15 I knew the gravity of the situation, especially playing trying to break 60.

I actually, I often find that's the way I -- I struggle when I'm working hard to get into it, but the moment I find myself at the very top or with a moment that's high pressure I do tend to click into something that calms me down. So I don't know, I really enjoyed the experience today, the kind of the nerves and the excitement of getting into contention and then kind of feeling peaceful with it as well because I haven't been in contention that much of late. So, yeah, it was good to know.

Q. Golf's a weird game but what can you take out of this round going forward? Do you think there's something in this that can spark something?

JUSTIN ROSE: There's loads for me to take out of this week. I'm trying to get my season going still. We're late in the year. I got work to do. Yeah, for me building momentum into the U.S. Open, into The Open Championship, playing with Harold Varner this week (laughing). Actually the whole week's been cool. Obviously my pairing the first couple days with Harold, yeah, man like enjoying it a little bit more too. I'm working so hard, but you got to enjoy it as well.

Q. With the U.S. Open next week how much can you use to build towards that?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, a lot. A lot. I kind of tried to sort of almost feel like, when I was on the 18th tee today, project what it would feel like to be on the 72nd hole next week. Because it's the type -- you don't get this competitive practice that often. I haven't been that much in contention and you just -- it's never that easy. So the moment -- like, for example, like JT and the guys that are playing great golf at the moment, it becomes routine and I've had spells in my career where you just are in contention all the time and it's water off a duck's back and it's super easy. Hasn't been that way for me as late. So I wanted to use it today as competitive practice as best I could.

Q. Of all courses on the PGA TOUR this year Saint G's is No. 5 in the world rankings behind Augusta, Pebble, Riviera and Brookline next week. What's your take on that, what did you think of the golf course?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I mean listen I love playing old classics, I feel like I've made my career on playing these times of tracks. I've won relatively more on the classic courses than I have your run of the mill 22-under PGA TOUR stop. So there's something about them that I enjoy. I love the tactical challenge of 'em. I love the they keep you honest, man. Fairways, greens, under the hole, take your medicine if you're out of position. There's a lot of disciplines this week that you have to honor.

Q. On that note, of keeping it under the hole, on 18 what was your target in terms of your dead weight to that chip on your chip shot going to that front pin, were you trying to land it 30 feet?

JUSTIN ROSE: That's not knowing the golf course just well enough. If I think, if I look back at 18, I thought the whole slope short of green was more severe than it actually was. Hindsight I hit 9-iron more to the left-hand side. The front left wasn't as severe as I thought it was, it was more of a run up.

And then, yeah, like I hadn't hit chips from over there and that how hard it swung to the left like that it caught me out. So that's a scenario that maybe doesn't happen in a major championship if you have a bit more time to prepare. But, yeah, like first time here to this golf course for me, so a lot of the members are probably like, Yeah, can't do that, you know.

Q. It's been a crazy week in golf and I just wanted to get your reaction to just sort of the news of the week with LIV starting up and then the suspension handed out.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it's been a long time coming. There's been conjecture and talk and rumor and talk behind the scenes and guys talking about going. It's kind of nice in some ways that it's out in the open, who is going, who is not. I think that each TOUR needs to make a stance and players need to think to what they think is important in their careers and in their lives. Obviously everybody here has made their choice to sort of be doing what's right for them and that's playing the PGA TOUR.

Guys that have gone have made different choices to what they feel their values are and each to their own.

But I think, you know, yeah, it's still unsettling, I think. It's definitely, it is an unsettling time. I think we're probably looking at a few more months before we know really how it plays out for sure.