ROLLERCOASTER RIDE FOR ROSE
It’s birdies and bogeys galore for Brit
If it’s true what they say that the Masters doesn’t really begin until the back nine on Sunday, then Justin Rose must seriously fancy his chances of finally slipping on a green jacket.
for the second day running he came good on the most exciting nine holes in the game to position himself exactly where he wants to be heading into the weekend of the 85th edition.
Rose followed up his marvellous opening 65 with a gutsy 72 for a seven-under-par total. He needed just 63 shots to play the back nine over the first two days, a vivid contrast to the 74 blows over the outward nine. Yes, golf is one more sport that can sometimes prove a game of two halves.
Rose is one shot ahead of Will Zalatoris and two in front of Australian Marc Leishman, who finished fourth here in 2013, and a familiar American foe in Jordan Spieth, who defeated the Englishman by four strokes when claiming the jacket in 2015. Could we be in for another compelling duel from the duo who have suddenly found their form?
No golfer in Masters history has won the title with a triple bogey on one of his four cards, but don’t rule out Spieth from becoming the first after the way he has played his other 35 holes so far (his aberration was at the ninth on Thursday). The demon putter followed his opening 71 with a 68.
Another highly decorated member of the American cavalry in world No 2 Justin Thomas is just three off the pace after rebounding from his opening 73 with a fine 67. Alongside him is Tony finau, who had a chance to win the Masters two years ago and showed his liking for the course once more with a 66.
Rose was rightly pleased with his spirited response over the back nine. ‘I’m really proud of the way I turned it into a worthwhile day,’ he said. ‘I didn’t come here with a lot of confidence after not playing for a month, but I held a lot of tough four-foot putts and grew as the round went on.’
Rose was hardly the first golfer to wake up the morning after a stunning display at Augusta and wonder if he was still playing the same game. After the effortless ease of his marvellous seven-under-par opener came a tortuous front nine played in 39 shots that was as different as night and day. When he began at 9.36am he was the owner of the jointlargest first-round lead seen at a major for 75 years. It lasted barely two hours.
Rose admitted he stood on the tenth tee with his ‘finger heading towards the panic button.’ He added: ‘I told myself to treat it like it was match play, and that I was three down with nine holes to go.’
The fightback began with a trio of pars and then came the birdies. One of the two-putt variety at the 13th, followed by two more from 20ft at the 14th and the 16th. He has had nine birdies in two days over the back nine and no dropped shots.
It looked as if he might spill one at the last when he drove into a fairway bunker but recovered with a marvellous blow to 12ft.
‘It meant that I had that putt for the win by one hole in my imaginary match play, but in the end it was an honourable half,’ he said, smiling.
It is never easy leading the Masters. One bald statistic conclusively demonstrates that. Since 1985, 24 different players have held the outright lead following the first round. The number who have gone on to win? Just Spieth in his allconquering year.
Rose has certainly got plenty of inspiring memories to draw upon at a course where he must have birdied every hole at least a dozen times. But what a performance this has been. In its way, his secondround 72 was more impressive than his opening score. Every player in this field — well, apart from the oldies — can shoot 65 when the mood is upon them. A lot less can follow it with such a characterful effort.
Even during his warm-up yesterday Rose looked nervous. A couple of drives on the practice ground were fanned out badly to the right.
It was no surprise to see him take a three-wood, therefore, off the first tee, but that one was fanned into the Georgia pines as well, leading to an instant bogey. He regained the stroke lost at the second, with a delicate chip to three feet. Then the problems began.
He dropped shots at both par threes on the outward nine. At the sixth, his tee shot was two yards off line and caught a severe slope which sent the ball 70ft from the flag. His first putt almost climbed the hill but ultimately trundled back 66ft in the direction it came. He did well to restrict the damage to a three-putt.
At the seventh, a further stroke was spilled after finding the front bunker. Rose needed some deep breaths and a few smooth swings if his round was not to completely unravel. No wonder he spoke afterwards about a panic button, but now calmness has descended once more. It promises to be some weekend.