‘YOUNG TURK’ ROSE TO JOIN THE GREATS
KIWIS ORDERED TO ‘STOP BATEMAN’
JUSTIN ROSE wants to etch his name into the history books alongside Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Colin Montgomerie by winning a third Turkish Airlines Open in a row.
The so-called ‘three-peat’ is in the works as Rose pitches up at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal in Antalya this week looking to defend the title he has won for the last two years.
And having the chance to join that elite group at Montgomerie’s course is driving Rose after what he claims has been a disappointing season.
Rose, 39, is hoping to hold off a field that includes Open champion Shane Lowry, Race to Dubai leader Bernd Wiesberger, Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett and Patrick Reed.
He gets things started today in a group with Lowry and Wiesberger, and has that piece of history at the forefront of his mind.
“To win the same event three years in a row would be incredible,” said Rose. “It would be a huge honour to join that list and something obviously 8.20: Alex Noren, Lee Westwood, Erik Van Rooyen
Padraig Harrington, Victor Perez, Matthias Schwab
Robert Macintyre, Patrick Reed, Kurt Kitayama
Matt Wallace, Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett 9.00: Bernd Wiesberger, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry
I’m keenly aware of. It offers me the opportunity to go three in a row and it offers me the opportunity to be in great company.
“It’s definitely a focus for me and an inspiration and something I’m going to enjoy trying to achieve.”
Rose won the Farmers Insurance in January but is disappointed with his returns for 2019.
“My season has been slightly disappointing for the most part,” he said, having recorded just one top 10 finish in the Majors this year.
“I think I’ve struggled a little bit with the rhythm of the schedule and various things. But at the same time I’ve won this year, so you can never really turn your nose up at that.
“If I was to win this week, a multiple-win season is certainly never, never a bad year.
“I think the run of the last few events I’m going to play offer the opportunity to really turn it around. For me that’s going to be very important going into 2020, as this is going to be a big year.”
KIWIS coach Michael Maguire will send out his side with orders to shut down John Bateman on Saturday.
Bateman was named NRL second rower of the year in his first season Down Under with the Canberra Raiders and stood up to be counted in Great Britain’s first two Tests.
The Lions desperately need to claim their first win of the tour and Maguire believes there will be nobody keener than Bateman.
The former Wigan coach said: “Bateman had a breakout season and I’m very impressed with what he does. He can take you on as an individual or skip back across the park. Players like that keep teams very honest with how you defend.”
Maguire coached Wigan in 2010 and 2011, three years before
Bateman (below, centre) joined from Bradford. But he admits he always keeps an eye on players who come through the Wigan ranks, saying: “I really enjoyed my time there. “Bateman came through there and it’s good to see all the kids coming through the Academy that a number of us tried to grow. Wigan produce a number of great players so I have definitely got them at heart.”
have declared November 15 a national holiday to mark wins over Great Britain and Australia. Coach Kristian Woolf will miss the celebrations, having flown to England to become St Helens boss.
JACK HUGHES is relieved to be making his Great Britain debut – instead of spending his time talking about his private parts.
The forward missed out on the first two Lions Tests and was sent instead into sponsors’ lounges to entertain guests pre-match.
Inevitably the topic of conversation came around to Hughes’ horrific injury in August when he played for 35 minutes with a ruptured testicle.
The Warrington co-captain said: “My testicle has become a bit more famous than I thought – it’s gone worldwide.
“It makes blokes cringe when they hear about it but it’s good to have a laugh about it. It was dramatic at the time but I have recovered well from it and can make fun of it.”
Hughes, who was warned he may lose his testicle before having emergency surgery, has made a full recovery.
The second rower makes his Lions debut at centre on Saturday in the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch.
Injuries to centre Oliver Gildart and winger Ryan Hall have forced changes, with Zak Hardaker moving from centre on to the wing.
But Hughes, 27, said he’s confident he will cope, having previously played at centre at club level.
He said: “A couple of injuries have tested the depth of the squad so I’ve been asked to do a job at centre and hopefully I won’t let anyone down.
“It is nothing new to me. Back in my Wigan days I did the majority of one season at centre and I dropped in there two or three times for Warrington this year.
“You’re not too far away from the second row position but you are in a bit more stress and pressure defensively in the centres.
“There is also a bit more decisionmaking and there are more speedsters to deal with but it is something I am not fazed by. I can deal with pressure.”
Coach Wayne Bennett has been criticised for only naming one specialist centre in Gildart and two wingers in Hall and Jermaine McGillvary.
But Hughes is sure the squad is versatile enough to deal with the injuries picked up in the first two defeats to Tonga and New Zealand.
Last year’s England Knights captain said: “It is not like we have asked big Tom Burgess to jump in on the wing. We have the likes of me and John Bateman, who are agile back rowers, who can play different positions. Playing back row isn’t too different to playing in the centres.”
Stand off Gareth Widdop (above) is confident Great Britain can pick up their first win of the tour on Saturday. He said: “We were disappointed with the result last Saturday but we played some good football at times and it was an improvement on the Tonga game.
“We are all competitive blokes and want to win and we are very positive.
“There are a few areas we need to fix up but we’re ready for another big challenge.”