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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 21, 2006

Justin Rose

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Justin opens 6 under 64. Nice birdie at the last hole to get in at that number and another good start. We checked your player record and you've had a good run the last couple of weeks.

Couple thoughts about the round today.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah. Obviously I have been playing well the last three weeks and I guess my one concern this week is running out of steam and stuff like that so obviously really happy with my round today yes, back in the tournament from the word go, you know.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Has there been any change in your game? Did you discover something for the good play?

JUSTIN ROSE: Not really. You always hear players saying it's close, it's close, it's coming that's how I've been feeling for a long time. I've been working hard at it.

You know, I have a coaching change, about three, four months into a new coach so I guess I like to maybe attribute some of that to him, you know, feeling like got a pretty good handle on my game right now. Feels pretty simple and I just putted a little bit better, too.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay. If you want to, can you just, before we go to questions, go through your round, start at the 10th hole?

JUSTIN ROSE: Started at 10. Made a par there. Then I hit 3 wood, lob wedge to about 12, 15 feet there at 11. Then I hit a great tee shot on 12. Came up short with a sand wedge and made bogey there on 12. That was a bad bogey with a sand wedge.

Driver, 4 iron to the front of the green. Pretty similar putt. 18, hit a good drive, hit sand wedge in there to 6 feet.

First hole was playing long today, driver, 5 wood, 9 iron to about four, five feet. 3, 6 iron to four feet. 4th hole I hit driver, wedge to 12 feet. And the fifth hole I 3 putted that.

Hit driver, 9 iron into the green, about 25 feet, 30 feet and had a downgrain putt and just really let it get away from me. Missed it 6 feet coming back.

Then hit 4 iron, sand wedge to 25 feet on 7. Made a putt there. It was nice. Then a driver, sand wedge to about five feet to the last.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay. We'll just open it up to questions.

Q. Justin, this course doesn't play long. Lots of wedges, lots of 9 irons. It's important to hit it close.

JUSTIN ROSE: It's important to hit it in the fairway. Although the rough is not long, it's bermuda. When the ball sits down even in the first cut you're susceptible to fliers and the greens being firm, you really need to be in the fairway in order to make the most of the wedges and the 9 irons into the greens.

But, with the southerly wind direction today I felt the course played a lot shorter than the practice in the Pro Am.

Q. The birdie on 7, did that kind of get you back, did you feel like it gave you something after the 3 putt on 5 and kind of missed the short one on 6?

How did you react to that, you hit another one on 9 after that.

JUSTIN ROSE: I think you're right. I had really good momentum going from 18 on, birdie, birdie, par, birdie, birdie. So, I was really going along, had some good momentum and that 3 putt, yeah, could have stopped the momentum.

So, really, as you said, the putt I made on 7 picked me up again, you know. It was a key putt.

Q. It was a little bit did you kind of ride

JUSTIN ROSE: I got a good read off Joe because he hit it out to the left. It actually went left of the hole so yeah, I mean that definitely, I probably made the putt because I got a good read off him.

Q. Justin, some of your early rounds have been good and later in the tournament not quite as good.

What is it, maybe doing some things different with your swing and not quite sure of the whole thing yet?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think obviously my third round has been great as well. Just the fourth round has let me down. I could have certainly won coming into this tournament but I haven't been in that position for I haven't had a lot of legitimate chances and, you know, sometimes you need to relearn a few things.

Maybe I got a little bit quick on the Sunday at in Canada. I got a little bit out of my rhythm I had going the first three days and sometimes as long as you can learn from those experiences, you know, there's always a positive to take from it.

The exciting thing for me is getting myself into position more and more as the old adage, the more you knock on the door, it's going to open.

I guess I'm in that situation now where mostly the first one is key but put pressure on yourself to do it, it's harder and harder. I'm really just trying to keep giving myself a chance and I know it's going to happen eventually.

Q. How close are you with Trevor Immelmann?

JUSTIN ROSE: Pretty close.

Q. He's kind of gone through the same thing this year.

JUSTIN ROSE: Trevor did go like second, second, whatever. I feel the little run I'm on right now is similar to what he was going through in May because he didn't have a particularly good start to the year, either, and then started playing really well and obviously confidence, he gained confidence.

It's a lot easier to be patient out on the golf course once you've had a few results under your belt. When you feel you're trying to chase results it's so much harder to be patient and play one short at a time.

You always feel like you're trying to chase them. The more you chase them, the more elusive they become.

Q. You've won multiple times in international events. Are you kind of getting now, after being on this Tour full time the past couple years, are you kind of anxious to have a similar outcome on this Tour?

JUSTIN ROSE: I'm really trying not to get anxious. If I do, I think it's going to get harder and harder.

But I feel like I got to a stage I've learned slowly in Europe, if you like. Once I felt I really got my head around and got comfortable there I started to really show good results and made the transition there.

I think I made a pretty good transition to the PGA Tour now. You know, I've always been Top 7 in the money list and steady but hopefully it will be the same sort of thing. Once I get really comfortable out here, I'll begin to

Q. What kind of I guess what has the transition been like for you playing over here? You talk about getting on the international events.

What are the similar things you're going through now?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think just going back to courses two, three times, beginning to learn where you played well, what you do. Just friendships, all that type of stuff, really and, you know, just every event you go to, every year I find there's always something you can do better the next year. Just continual learning process.

Q. Just specifically this round, how were the conditions? Were they getting more difficult because it started out sort of overcast and humid and got windier.

JUSTIN ROSE: It was almost certainly like two different days. The first 6, 7 holes it was quite common and overcast and looking like it was going to rain and obviously the wind cleared the clouds away and it became warmer and tricky out there.

I wouldn't have said it was that easy today. I was lucky. As I said, I played pretty good off the tee where I could make the most of my wedges coming into the green. Putted fairly solidly. You always expect low scores here but I don't think necessarily going to be crazy low today.

Q. With these conditions?

JUSTIN ROSE: With these conditions. Bit of wind. Greens are firmish.

Q. You were born in South Africa but have a residence in London. Are you a British citizen?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yes. My grandparents and stuff are British.

Q. With the Ryder Cup going on I'm sure you'll watch that a lot. Is it a doable goal for you to maybe make that team or make the team the next time around?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think it's been a doable goal the last two Ryder Cups. I was playing well in '02. I think had that season gone on a little longer I felt I could have made that team.

Then obviously by playing more in America, my results probably haven't threatened the Ryder Cup team but I certainly, there's certainly a way in for me over here, the world ranking points and that.

Certainly with it being here in America next year, would definitely be a Ryder Cup, I certainly want to play. The Ryder Cup in Ireland I couldn't think of a better thing for a European to do.

I always, even in America there's always the Irish seem to really follow the team and always see Irish flags at European events, always see Irish fans out there supporting the team o matter where they play.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: They had a nice opening ceremony.

JUSTIN ROSE: They did? Got it in? I'm sure you got a list of who is playing who, right?

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Yes. Thanks, Justin. Continued good luck this week.

JUSTIN ROSE: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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