MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 7, 2023

Justin Rose

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you characterize your round today?

JUSTIN ROSE: Just another good solid round out there, I think. For some reason the pins felt a little bit trickier for me personally today. And maybe even noticing how Brooks played the golf course, he kind of ate up the par-5s and not much else. I feel like that was kind of the way it felt out there.

It was tough to make birdies on the par-4s. When I did hit good golf shots, I wasn't quite able to make that mid-range birdie putt. Felt I did a really good job of the scrambling side and keeping myself together with some really good four-, five-foot par putts just to keep the round pretty tight overall.

You could sense the last couple of holes there was kind of a bit of a race to get into the clubhouse just because you kind of know what's coming and you can see the weather warning sign go up on the board. If there is a little pop-up storm this afternoon, and if anyone has to finish tomorrow morning, it's not going to be too pretty. So it was nice to get finished.

Q. With the weather coming in, are you satisfied with where you stand after two rounds?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think more satisfied given the fact that there's some bad weather coming. I think it's easier to make a big run if you keep it together on the weekend.

If the golf course is going to play like this, as it has for the first couple of days, and the leaders are going to continue making birdies, it's tough to kind of keep up with the pace. You need to make six or seven more than they're making. With bad weather, sometimes two or three birdies can go a long way, and there's going to be big numbers out there over the weekend.

Q. How much does past experience and success out here help you with when the weekend forecast is up in the air and we don't know what's going to happen?

JUSTIN ROSE: It's a great question. Somewhat this week, experience hasn't paid off that much because there's been so many putts that you remember being so much quicker than they actually are right now. I've left so many putts short this week, which is frustrating. I know I'm not alone. My whole group was the same.

I feel like the memory is having to override the memory in certain instances, but you're right. Certainly when the weather gets rough, just really honoring the angles, even knowing I'm missing the green on a certain side is a good play at time given some bad weather conditions.

So, yeah, I think it will help with the patience side of things and knowing what's an acceptable shot and not.

Q. Does Pebble in your back pocket also help for the learning, as you side, knowing you have the firepower to still win around here? Horsepower.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, horsepower, firepower, same thing.

I think what was good -- the West Coast is quite chilly, cold all year. I think that some of those attributes, I think played a lot of golf in 50-, 60-degree weather early in the season, we're going to be going back to those yardages and those numbers, and the wind just hits the ball a little bit differently when it's cold. So factoring that stuff in.

Yeah, remembering a little bit of the West Coast is going to help actually.

Q. This quest for a major, your legacy as a golfer, how close do you feel to being the Justin Rose that can link two majors together?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think obviously when I did win my first major, I was very much on an upward trend. I felt like it was a progression. You never want to say a matter of time because we all know some great players haven't won championships.

It's different to that, I think. I think I'm definitely more capable for sure, or as capable as I was then. Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm trending into it. I'm having to find my game again, and with that, having to find the confidence again.

Obviously little weeks like this, PLAYERS Championship being somewhat in contention, this week being back on the leaderboard. Those are good for the confidence and I think that's the little extra that I need right now, which is good.

Q. You spoke already about experience, not just here, but in championships. How much do you refer back to your notes from over the years, and does it always help?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it always helps. This is a golf course certainly, because you come back here every single year, and you'll always learn something from someone. You come here early, you find a different caddie, he'll tell you something. So I've always been very good at keeping those notes.

Other golf courses, you're learning them for the first time. LACC, for example, don't really know it very well at all. I have no more experience and advantage there than anybody else. But if I do have the time to go and make a journey and do the preparation side, I enjoy the prep, and I enjoy kind of like targeting the big events and giving it my all.

Q. What are you looking forward to this weekend?

JUSTIN ROSE: Probably not much actually. I don't think anyone's looking forward to the weekend. Other than just being here obviously. Being on the leaderboard obviously gives you that incentive to dig in and tough it out, which is what everyone's going to have to do.