	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 24, 2010

Justin Rose

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

DOUG MILNE: Okay. Justin Rose, thank you for joining us for a few minutes. Off to a great start after Round 1 of the 2010 Travelers Championship, 6-under 64 today, highlighted obviously by the five consecutive birdies coming in. Just some thoughts on after the win at the Memorial. You're back, you're right in position, obviously still early in the week, but you gotta feel good about where you are.
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, for sure. I'm really happy to see that the form carried over.
I felt a little bit unprepared going into the week. I didn't do so much practice the last couple of weeks, but I guess more of the challenge from the last two weeks was to mentally just recharge and recover. So obviously I'm pleased that the form stayed with me today.
And I think the key today was staying ready to be patient, realizing that the conditions this afternoon were fairly tough, and even though I was 1-under par through 12, I felt pretty good about things. I wasn't forcing it, wasn't chasing it, and I think that probably allowed me to get hot.
My putter, I had two relatively easy birdies, two two-putt birdies on 13 and 15 which were in the middle of the run, so I hadn't made every putt, which kind of sometimes -- I was surprised, actually, after 15 that it suddenly came into my mind, that was a spin. So I didn't really feel like it, but like I said, I just stayed patient through the middle of the round, and that was probably the turning point.
MARK STEVENS: Okay. We'll go ahead and open it up for a few questions.

Q. The course this morning, do you kind of feel like in the afternoon when the conditions might not be as good, that you really gotta put your foot on the gas or did you kind of pick your spot?
JUSTIN ROSE: No, I didn't feel like that at all. I didn't really pay too much attention to this morning's scores. I think you begin to accept it and expect it.
I just was trying to play the golf course very much as I saw it today and playing conservatively. Day one can't win it; you can only lose it. So really just putting myself in position and take the shot on when it fit my eye. That's pretty much what I did today.
I didn't drive the ball particularly well on the front nine so I didn't get very many really good looks at birdie, and like I said, things started to click for me; and when I started feeling good about my game, I started taking on a couple more shots and managed to squeeze some birdies out coming in.

Q. Where were you during the delay, and how did you kind of bide your time to stay focused during then?
JUSTIN ROSE: During the rain delay we were just hanging out. The key is almost to try and not stay focused during the rain delay. Just to use the time -- I was watching World Cup soccer. I was watching a little bit of Wimbledon, catching up on some sports, having a little bit of food, enjoying myself. It felt like a halfway house. It was good.

Q. Did the course change at all after the rain?
JUSTIN ROSE: Not really. I don't think it rained that much. The fairways still certainly felt firmish, and the rough, I think walking through the rough, your feet weren't getting soaking wet. And the greens, I didn't really see a big difference, to be honest, no.

Q. Was there any difference in the wind at all, and when during that run did you feel you were on a roll?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, the wind really picked up, I would say, when I was on 16 and 17. And I only really felt like I was on a run when I made the putt on 17.
17 was just playing really tough today. I hit a very conservative club off the tee. I hit 3-iron because I just felt if I hit a 4-wood off that tee, the ball was going to be in the air so long, and with the wind howling off the left, I just didn't like it. So I hit 3-iron off the tee, hit 7-iron to 30 feet. I was more than happy to walk off there with par, but sometimes when it's going your way, I rolled in a 30-footer and suddenly it was like things are going right now. So that's the way it was.

Q. What has the Memorial done for your expectations?
JUSTIN ROSE: I think nothing, really, to be honest with you. I think that was the key today. I feel like my form carried over, but emotionally I didn't feel like there was any carryover from the Memorial.
I think that's key because each week's a new test, a new golf course and you gotta have a new strategy. What works some weeks you gotta adjust your game and fine tune for another week.
Obviously confidence. Don't get me wrong. You feel good about things. You probably have the ability to be a little bit more patient out there when things don't go your way, but I felt like I very much played today's round of golf as I saw it and didn't translate it back to what I did two weeks ago.

Q. You talk about being mentally recharged during that time, but was part of you itching to get back on the course after winning?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, the first seven, eight days after winning I didn't really touch a club. I was hanging out, relaxing, making the most of it. And then after that period of time, I felt like I wanted to get out on the practice range.
That's the key for us all of us players. You never fall out of love with the game, but you gotta give yourself rest in order to want to play and want to practice and that's the key.
DOUG MILNE: Okay, Justin. Congratulations on a great round. Best of luck.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297