Rose and the Open renew their vows

World number three falls just two shots shy of glory

Justin Rose and the Open have renewed their vows, despite the Englishman falling two shots short at Carnoustie yesterday.

The world number three’s 69 would have undoubtedly caught the leaders’ attention and the only man to go past him was winner Francesco Molinari.

Rose tied for fourth for the championship as an amateur and it has taken 20 years for him to better it with a tied second.

“It just proves to me that I can play well in this tournament,” he said. “That I can win the Open.

“It brought back memories for sure. The fact I had a wedge shot for my approach (which he holed at Birkdale). “I was thinking, can I do it again? “I very nearly did.

“When I’m in the hunt, I enjoy it. I play my best golf. I don’t back away.

“I really enjoy it.

“It was great to get the crowd behind me.

“Like I said, I hadn’t felt the energy of the crowd for a while in the Open.

“That was a real positive for me, and it renews the love of the Open for me.”

Rose birdied the 18th in all four rounds and one of them was needed just to make the cut.

“I birdied it in different ways, too,” he said.

“Today it wasn’t really playing that bear of a hole that it can be. Yesterday I hit driver, five iron, which is more the Carnoustie 18th hole that we know.

“I feel like I birdied it all ways, which makes it special.”

Rose suspected that six under would not be enough in the end.

He said: “I set the target. I knew that Eddie Pepperell had finished five under, and I knew if I couldn’t get past him, I had no chance. So that was the goal to make sure I got in the clubhouse ahead of him.

“But I set myself the lofty goal to shoot five under on the back nine to get to eight. I thought that was going to be the number. 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.

“I started to play great golf. Making the eagle at 14 was the little boost I needed. Having made the cut number, it’s a great effort to be relevant on the leaderboard on Sunday.”

I hadn’t felt the energy of the crowd for a while in the Open. That was a real positive for me. JUSTIN ROSE

Picture: Getty. Justin Rose plays his second shot on the first hole during the final round.