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June 12, 2014
PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA
JUSTIN ROSE: Definitely I drove the ball really, really well today. Except the 8th hole I hit every tee shot just as I wanted it to. Swinging it much better than I have been. I played the par-3s really well. Just my short game was very poor. Just work on that. If I hit it like I have the last few days and just improve -- putting felt comfortable, actually, just more the pitching and chipping, which you're going to have to at least four or five times a day. Get that sharp and I feel confident for the rest of the week.
Q. Was that slight change in conditions the reason the chips and the putting wasn't up to scratch?
JUSTIN ROSE: No, it's really grainy around here. And a couple of times I think my shot selection -- you have so many shots to choose from, that can be the problem, is being clear on exactly the right spot or choosing the appropriate shot each time. That's something I'll work on.
Q. Your chip on 8, was that the first time you've done that for a while?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, that wasn't the nicest feeling. I mean I looked at the lie and I knew that that was a possibility, but I also knew that I was trying to play an aggressive pitch shot, land it up on a shelf and check it. That's the shot I decided to play. I knew it was the high premium shot. But I went for it and obviously it went terribly wrong. But that's really strong Bermuda there. I was trying to hit a hook 9-iron out of the trees there, and it only landed -- only went about a yard off the landing, that should have told me how strong the grain was where my ball was. That was a hang-your-head moment, I suppose.
Q. Most players have been saying all this week that they feel the tournament will be decided in plus numbers, all in all are you content with the position you're in?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I mean it makes it a -- I've got to play some great golf the rest of the week. I have to do that pretty much no matter if you shoot 66 today or 72. If I shot 66 I wouldn't be here thinking, well, that's won me the tournament. 72 certainly hasn't lost me the tournament. That's exactly where you have to be. I was telling myself If I get it back to 2 and then if I 1-under each for the next two days. That was my sequential sort of -- that's the way I try to break it down. I shot 2-under on the back nine today and got myself back to two, and even par is within striking distance. If I play well I feel I can get it under par.
Q. Now you have a few practice rounds in, how has the experience been here as the defending champion?
JUSTIN ROSE: It's been good. I think it's been very easy, to be honest with you. I've had very little demands on my time, less than I'd imagined and I've had the preparation exactly how I wanted. It's been great. Being a different golf course I never really treated it as -- it was always going to be a new test, a new test paper. So I just try to focus on the golf course. But in terms of -- I feel like I'm playing pretty free out there. I feel like I'm playing the golf course more aggressively each day.
Q. Can you give us your thoughts on Matt's round?
JUSTIN ROSE: Matt played really, really well today. He's a wonderful putter and probably left one or two out on the green. He had a penalty on the 8th hole where he addressed the ball and it just moved. I think 71 he shot was a great round of golf. But he could have had an opportunity to be a couple better than that. He played really well today.
Q. (Inaudible.)
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I got a little bit of knee pain, but nothing crazy, just part of getting old.
Q. (Inaudible.)
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, absolutely, I'm going to spend an hour out there for sure. The short game is confidence. You just start striking it properly again. Maybe the club is slightly out of plane, and this can influence your strike. Check my basics. Start hitting a few feeling shots again and build up that confidence.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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