Brave Rose is aiming to win the pain game

last week in my back and I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to force it.

“It’s not a muscle injury, just a blip after all the golf we’ve been playing. But I’ve got to be careful with all the golf we’ve got to come.

“I’ve been taking painkillers the last few days, but it is just a matter of not thinking about the pain. Would I be trying to play if it wasn’t a Major? Possibly not.”

Rose has played every Major since missing the 2010 US Open. He was dogged by back problems in 2016 when he missed a month in May and then stopped for two months in October after winning Olympic gold and playing in the Ryder Cup.

The Floridabased star won his ninth PGA Tour title with a twisted ankle at the Fort Worth Invitational in May.

“I’ve been through it all before with my back,” he said. “I won the Colonial on one leg in May so maybe it’s even a good omen.”

An inch of rain fell in Missouri on Tuesday to make Bellerive Country Club a slog in practice yesterday.

“It’s going to play heavy and long but it’s not one where you need to put in a lot of practice,” added Rose. “It’s just target golf – you’ve just got to hit your numbers and hit it to the right quadrants on the greens. I can see some of the guys shooting very low.”

Rory McIlroy, who has won his four Majors on soaked courses, said: “It’s going to be quintessential target golf. Where your ball lands is where it’s going to really stay.” JIM FURYK will ask his vice-captain Tiger Woods to leave the room during wildcard talks if the former world No1 does not qualify for the US team this weekend.

The 14-time Major winner needs to claim his first tournament victory since 2013 to force his way into the eight automatic places in the final qualifying event.

American captain Furyk, who will name his four wild cards next month, said: “I went through the same process in 2016 with Davis Love and Tom Lehman.

“There was a time when the three of us were sitting in a conference room, and I went to the bathroom and came back 10 minutes later to give them an opportunity to speak.

“I have known Tiger for a long time, we’re friends and I respect him. It’s not going to be a difficult process as far as him having to recuse himself, and we’ll work through those situations and issues much like Davis and I did in the past.

“It’s fun to see him put himself in the mix, and being 20th on the points with very few events is a pretty good spot.”

European captain Thomas Bjorn has withdrawn from the USPGA with a back injury.