Rose on rise at US Open
During the course of his decorated career, Justin rose has carved a welldeserved reputation as one of the best ballstrikers of the past two decades. What has been largely overlooked is that his short game is of a pretty high order as well.
That’s unlikely to be the case anymore following two remarkable rounds at the uS Open, where the Englishman earned the early halfway lead almost entirely due to prodigious feats of scrambling.
On Thursday he had just 22 putts in a 65 that equalled the lowest first-round score witnessed in a major on this storied course.
in the second round yesterday, he had to work equally hard for a 70 and a sevenunder-par total that left him two clear of American Aaron Wise. The 22-year-old Wise had been tipped by Brooks Koepka before the event began to make an impression and clearly relished the boost in confidence.
Speaking of the major man, Koepka’s hopes of another successful defence remained intact following a second 69. He made his move in classic uS Open fashion, plodding along for 14 holes but showing commendable patience and getting his reward with two late birdies. ‘i’m good at this patient game,’ said the 29-yearold. ‘My ball striking was so much better than my first round and i’m happy going into the weekend.’ This was an eventful morning, where Jordan Spieth and ian Poulter both simmered. Spieth had been unhappy with his caddie Michael greller in the first round. imagine his mood when he played from a fairway bunker — and greller hadn’t noticed the bunker rake directly in his line, on the other side of the bunker. Spieth’s ball clattered into it and it was perhaps as well for greller that his man restricted the damage to a bogey. The Texan finished with a 69 to be six back.
Poulter’s ball at the third ended in a lie on the back of a bunker so horrific he actually failed to make contact on his first attempt to play it, and moved it about 2ft on his second. He ended up with a quadruple bogey eight.
Typical Poults, he fought back to play the rest of the round in two under — but, at four over, he was unlikely to make the halfway cut.
it was just 12 degrees Centigrade when rose made his way to the tenth tee to start his round. He continued from where he left off the previous evening.
He was all over the place from tee to green. But that magic touch around the greens saved him once more, and prevented the opening round from feeling like a long time ago.
After 14 single putts, and just 22 in all on Thursday, he added three more in the first four holes. When he registered his first birdie at the 15th, following a fine eight iron to 6ft, his putting stats were something to behold.
Stokes gained, three-putt avoidance, putts from 5-10ft, putts per round — whatever putting category you looked at, he was leading it.
Most important of all, he was still leading the tournament.
At the par-three 17th, he got down in two from a bunker, and again at the long 18th for a birdie to turn in a two-under-par 34 shots and stretch his lead to three strokes.
it couldn’t last, and he paid the price with a couple of bogeys on the back nine. But he holed a fine putt for par from 8ft at the eighth and now has plenty of time to work on his long game before he begins his third round this afternoon.
if he is to win this tournament, he knows more than anyone there will have to be a little less smoke and mirrors, and a little more of the sort of play for which he is renowned.
At least he knows he can now rely far more than before on his putting, following the dramatic improvement under the wise tutelage of compatriot Phil Kenyon.
Just two years ago, rose was ranked 122nd on the PgA Tour in the strokes gained putting category. now he’s 11th.
When he got to the 18th on thursday, we had the first spinetingling moment of this 119th edition. He needed to get down in two one more time to take the lead and equal the record set by tiger Woods in 2000 for the lowest first round score seen in a Us open at Pebble Beach.
Just to complete the picture, tiger was standing next to him. rose splashed out to 8ft. Was he aware of the significance of the putt?
‘oh, yes,’ he said, grinning. ‘What better way to achieve it than with the great man himself standing next to you?’
When the putt fell below ground, trust the eloquent rose to find the right words to do justice to the moment.
‘this is just a very small step towards what i hope for the final outcome,’ he said. ‘you don’t feel that buzz that you feel on the 18th on sunday. But you can’t help but look over your shoulder and think: “Damn, this is Pebble Beach and i’ve just shot 65 in the Us open”.
‘Whatever else transpires the rest of the week, it’s a cool moment.’
so far, so good then. After all the recent cock-ups, a proper Us open that is all about the grind before the glory has been on show.