THE 152ND OPEN

July 19, 2024

Justin Rose

Mixed Zone

Q. Can we start with the end with that putt on 18?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that was such a fun way to finish. Obviously I celebrated, and there was the realisation I didn't have to hit another shot, could really kind of let my guard down and enjoy the day because it was a really hardworking, good round of golf. To finish that way was obviously special with the crowds, being a fairly full grandstand Friday afternoon. It was really good to enjoy that one.

Q. When you were Open qualifying, these are the moments you think about, you want to play in these big occasions?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that's still the dream. Obviously you're out there and, yeah, like I said at the time just a little quip, but you've got to be in it to win it, and the first big part of the journey was getting in the tournament.

But yeah, even I look back at Burnham & Berrow, we played in a really, really tough westerly breeze. That golf course is incredibly difficult in a westerly and I think even that little bit of experience of get back playing some tough links golf has probably help me a little bit these last two days.

Q. Can you talk about the par save on 6? That seemed a bit of momentum and you seemed happy with that one.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I'd almost resigned myself to making my first bogey of the week there and kind of really tried to free it up over the putt, and funny how that kind of changed the mentality and actually made my first real decent putt of the week.

Kept that going. Obviously ended up bogeying 12 today as my only bogey so far of the week, but I knew it was going to come eventually. But that was another pivotal moment in my round today where I bogeyed 12, which was the last into-the-wind hole and then we turned with everything down off the left coming in.

That was like a bit of a reset for me. Even though I made bogey, it was a good time to reset with the change of golf course, really, the way it plays coming in.

Q. Yesterday on the Postage Stamp you missed the green. Today you hit a good shot after the birdie on 7. Did you make an adjustment based on the wind?

JUSTIN ROSE: I watched the shots coming in from the group in front of me. Saw guys kind of flight it up in the air a little bit and it looked like you couldn't keep it left enough if you got the ball in the air.

So I kind of just improvised really. Before I stepped on the tee, I was a little bit more focused today. I felt like yesterday there was a lot of distraction on that tee. Didn't do a good job of settling into my shot, so kind of really tried to make sure I did a better job of that today. I kind of knew how hard that shot was going to be and respected the hole and the way it was playing.

I was playing literally for front left edge of the green, chipped a little small pitching wedge in there, tried to put a little bit of draw on it to hold the hole because I felt like as soon as it went with the wind, the slope then had a huge effect on the ball and it was obviously hard to keep on the green. It's such a great little hole, especially today.

Q. You didn't try to play to the pin?

JUSTIN ROSE: I tried to land it five yards on the green in the fattest part I could.

Q. You looked so relaxed out there. I was just watching it on the 18th. Big smile on your face. You seemed to be enjoying the whole experience, not letting it get to you at all. No pressure.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, listen, that's how it looks. I was basically saying, come out, lads, get out of the toilet, hurry up, because I didn't want to be in a situation where I was about to hit my tee shot and your playing partners come stumbling out of the toilet or the door slams or something, so I was just patiently waiting for that type of situation. So yeah, it looked relaxed, but you're like, come on, hurry up. You're keen to get on with it.

But yeah, listen, that's kind of all part of just being experienced enough to kind of know what the situation is, take your time, and then when the moment comes, key into the shot.

Q. Kind of strange that you're level with Dan Brown. You're both English, yet this is his debut, and he's coming at it from a totally different perspective as his first Open Championship. Any tips -- I know you're up against him, but any tips for a young guy like that?

JUSTIN ROSE: We're probably much more aligned than we are different in the sense of go out there tomorrow, the mentality to do well is going to be to enjoy it, to be as free as you can with it, to give yourself the best opportunity to play well, to sort of embrace the fun part of it and the childhood dream part of it. From that point of view, I think it's pretty similar.

Q. It's been over 30 years since an Englishman has won this championship. How much does that fact --

JUSTIN ROSE: No, I've got my own problems. We've got enough problems with football. I can't bring golf into it.

No, I honestly don't. That would be nice. When I won the U.S. Open it was our first since Tony Jacklin, so those are nice moments when it comes together and you can share the story of what it means, but you're never thinking of it, and we are pretty selfish from that point of view. Like we want it for us, and obviously it's great to share it with everybody that it's meaningful to, but in the moment you're just trying to get the job done.

Q. This is so different from a Tour setup. What do you enjoy about the questions this course is asking?

JUSTIN ROSE: That it's going to change tomorrow, again, what the questions are. I think tomorrow might be calmer, a bit more rain. So yeah, you're going to have to kind of adapt. I think what I've done a good job of this week is kind of imagining how this course was going to play with the southerly wind and sort of setting up my expectations and mentality of how to play the course.

Yeah, so now getting into gear for tomorrow. That's the great thing about links golf. I hit driver, 3-wood into the 15th hole in practice. I hit driver, flick sand wedge today. It's like pretty crazy the difference that links golf can give you. That's the fun part of it, though.

Q. Was there one iron shot today that was just an unusual yardage or flight or something that was extra linksey?

JUSTIN ROSE: I felt like every shot was sort of -- so the yardage book is kind of out the window a little bit and nothing makes sense with the yardage book really. You're hitting wedges from like 180, but when you factor it all in, because it's downwind, the ball releases 15 yards and it's going to carry 15 yards further. There's the 30 plus yards that you're taking off the club, whereas other tournaments that ball is landing and spinning backwards. You're having to factor in a lot. I say the yardage book is out the window, yes, but at the same time you're making a lot of calculations out there, and nothing is standard.

Q. What is it that makes it so difficult?

JUSTIN ROSE: Well, I think today it tipped over the edge where the elements were in control, meaning that you were aiming right of a pin and slicing the ball and seeing the ball hook. So the wind had all the control on the ball. The player couldn't have control over the wind. I think that's the tipping point today.

Yesterday I felt like it was playable. I felt like it was a fair fight yesterday. Today just kind of was a bit more survival.

Q. In those circumstances, just how good was it today because you're right up there.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, today was good. I think today was the perfect balance. Yesterday was a pretty smooth plain sailing, 16 greens, a lot of tap-in pars. Today was the perfect match -- for me I think what was good about it was I had to grind. It was a perfect mix of playing well and fighting well. I had to up-and-down the ball a few more times today, had to hole those horrible five-, six-footers where you're over the ball and you're sort of being buffeted by the wind, and that really kind of can make you feel off kilter to sort of make a solid stroke. You're fighting through every moment like that on the course, and I think that was what I did a good job of today as well as playing well.

Q. (On the bogey).

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it is. Obviously it came on the 12th hole, which is the last into the wind hole that I had and then it was almost a good time for it to happen, to reset as the course changed, as you played down off the left coming in. I was really trying to reshift my focus and think -- I really wanted to try and get something out of the last six holes in a positive sense.