Refreshed Rose aiming to add to impressive run

ABU DHABI: World No 6 returns to action and wants to keep his momentum going

Justin Rose believes he is playing the best golf of his career as he looks to start 2018 in the same way he finished 2017 in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Rose has finished no worse than 10th in his last 10 events worldwide, collecting three wins and almost snatching the Race to Dubai from Tommy Fleetwood at the death.

The Olympic champion has only played in Abu Dhabi twice, but was second on his debut in 2013 and 12th in 2015 and is among the favourites in a star-studded field also featuring world No 1 Dustin Johnson and the returning Rory Mcilroy.

“I think I finished the season with 10 straight top 10s and that’s not been done by me and probably not been done by many,” Rose told a pre-tournament press conference.

“So that was a really solid, consistent run of golf. And then to throw three wins in there and have a couple of other chances, that was a really, really strong run of golf, and (I’m) looking forward to just keeping that momentum going as soon as possible.”

Rose ended 2017 with an eight-shot victory in the Indonesian Masters bookended by rounds of 62, before putting his clubs away for a short break over Christmas.

“I kept the body moving, kept the body fit, but didn’t really focus too much on the golf side of things,” the world No 6 added.

“I knew that I needed to take some time off, but I’m not taking a prolonged break just to keep the momentum up.”

Scots Paul Lawrie, Richie Ramsay, Marc Warren, Stephen Gallacher, David Drysdale and Scott Jamieson are all in the field this week.