Rose inspired by great escape
JUSTIN ROSE says his best Open finish coming after staring at an early exit proves he can one day lift the Claret Jug.
Rose, 37, had to hole a 10-foot birdie putt at the end of the second round to escape the cut by a single shot.
And after equalling the Open course record on Saturday with a 64, his 69 yesterday earned him a share of second place, finally surpassing the fourth-place finish he achieved at Birkdale 20 years ago.
“It just proves to me that I can play well in this tournament, that I can win,” said Rose. “When I’m in the hunt, I enjoy it. I play my best golf. I don’t back away.
“It was great to get the crowd behind me. I hadn’t felt the energy of the crowd for a while in the Open. That was a real positive for me, and it renewed the love of the Open.”
Rose had predicted a winning score of eightunder and, having started on four-under himself, it looked as though his hopes had gone when he reached the turn one shot even further away. But a brilliant three on the 14th suddenly put him within a shot of the lead. “I set myself the lofty goal to shoot five-under on the back nine to get to eight,” said Rose. “Then the leaders started to wobble a little bit toward the end of the front nine, and that’s when I knew there was an opportunity.
“Making the eagle at 14 was the little boost I needed. I kept urging myself to try to make birdies but in the end it was not quite enough.”