|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP BY COCA-COLASeptember 22, 2012Justin RoseATLANTA, GEORGIA CHRIS REIMER: Justin, a good round, playing in the final group today, and you maintained kind of your hold on the final group, and I'm sure you're looking forward to getting out there and making a run at the TOUR Championship by Coca‑Cola tomorrow? JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, absolutely. Today was a great day, really. I felt a little bit banged up this morning. My shoulder and sort of scapula was all tight. I had a hard time making the back swing on the range. I knew it was one of those things that would probably loosen up as the day went on and that luckily happened. But sitting here now based on how I woke up, a great day. But to go bogey free out there on the course that showed its teeth today was very, very tricky. Obviously, a little bit of extra wind really made you work all day long. To do that in the environment of the TOUR Championship was a great round of golf for me. Q. Jim was just parring along. We were waiting for one of you two to make a birdie out there? JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it was an incredibly boring front nine. We took it. We were happy with it, but I imagine it was a little like watching paint dry. But we both actually commented on the 10th tee box because we matched each other shot for shot. It looked like I was going to birdie 10. I missed, he made. But the streak continued. So I broke it on 12 there. But unfortunately, obviously, Jim ran into some trouble on 17, but other than that, he played a steady round of golf. Q. Just wondering what tightened the shoulder up? Hotel bed or do you have any idea? JUSTIN ROSE: I don't know. I've been feeling so good. I've been training really hard. I felt it a couple times last week when I was training, and it disappeared as quickly as it came on. So today it lingered around a little bit longer. But it's just one of those‑‑ it's not what we call an injury. It's just one of those niggles that you get from playing the game and traveling and what have you. A chunky, 8‑month old little daughter didn't help this morning picking her up. That's probably what did it. Q. Three good solid, really good rounds here. How do you explain feeling seemingly so comfortable here, and what is a tough challenge of golf? JUSTIN ROSE: This is the kind of golf I do enjoy. I like tests like this. I typically like it when it's 10‑under par, it's a really great week. Birdies are possible, but you have to grind for your pars. I feel like that challenge suits me mentally and suits my game. I've been feeling good about my game for a long time, all year, actually, to be honest with you. There are just a couple of areas that haven't been as sharp as I'd like. Those areas have turned around this week. When I putt half decently, I get up the leaderboard. Q. Describe on the eve of a final round where you're very much in contention. Is it excitement? How do you like to switch up? Do you like to think ahead and focus on everything? JUSTIN ROSE: I used to find it tough. I used to think about the final round as of now, and it makes it a very long time, you burn a lot of energy. But I've won four times out here on the PGA TOUR. From that sense, I've proven myself. I want to come out here and win tomorrow, of course I do. But I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, which helps, and having had kids, I suppose too, kids are a great distraction in the hotel room in the mornings. I've had all my wins out here since I've been a dad, and who knows? Just changing a few diapers early in the morning probably takes your mind off it. Q. I know you're going to try to win tomorrow. There are a few things that you could do or could happen to win it all. Do you know what they are? JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I need a little help from my friends as they say (smiling). But, yeah, I was aware that Rory needed to finish outside the top 17 this week. Every credit to him. He's having a very solid week, as I expected him to. And Brandt, you've got to give him credit. I know he got off to a rough start on Thursday, and to climb back and tie for the lead being in that sort of vital top 5 is a wonderful performance. So he's going to be the one out of the two of us thinking about it overnight. Brandt's just such a great competitor. He's a great putter. I saw that when I played with him this year at the Barclays, we had a great week. The guy is fantastic on the greens. For me, I've just got to go out there and probably bring my best stuff tomorrow. Maybe hit a few more fairways. I felt good about it. I clicked into a swing key over the last few hole holes, which I hope will hold up overnight. But I've felt where I'm going with my game. I've been patient this week, and I haven't had my best stuff, but I've managed to get it around. Q. Do you think it makes it easier tomorrow because you don't have quite as much to win, not being in the top 5 as some of these other front runners might be? JUSTIN ROSE: Well, I have the advantage of just playing the TOUR Championship, I think, for me. The whole year we've been grinding for the FedExCup, and it's still possible. It's not an easy golf course. Things can happen out there. But for me, it's about one tournament. I wish I would be in the situation that Brandt's in. I would trade him, but obviously, that's the position I'm in. Q. Any key shots or birdies or bogies today that either kept your round going or a par putt early on that proved vital? JUSTIN ROSE: Not particularly. I kept it all pretty much in front of me. Managed when I did miss fairways to get it around the green. My short game was sharp. I think the best shot I hit was a pitch shot over the back of the 14th green. It was a really gnarly little line. Out of the Bermuda it's a calculated guess, if that makes any sense. You don't know exactly how the ball's going to come out for the most part. But I committed to the shot. It came out just as I hoped it would, and it nearly went in. So that was the shot I enjoyed the most out there. Q. You've seen quite a bit of Brandt Snedeker over the last couple of years. Tell us, what is he like? He's impressed a lot of people particularly this year with his game. What do you make of him as a player and a competitor? JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, he's a great competitor. He thinks very smartly about his game. He understands how to harness his putter. He understands how to use the rest of his game to give himself the best chance on the greens. His caddie and my caddie are best friends pretty much out here on tour. They room together a lot. So from that perspective, it's going to be a comfortable pairing and that could help both of us in some sense. You know, I played the practice round with Brandt. We have some mutual friends, for sure. He's tough, there is no doubt. That is the thing when you play someone like Brandt, if he's 15 feet for par, he's not out of the hole, and that's what makes him tough to play against. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|