Rose hits 64 to roar back into contention but has regrets
Justin Rose shot the lowest front nine of his 21-year career at Kingsbarns yesterday to barge his way back in the hunt for the Dunhill Links title.
However, it says so much about the world No 4’s standards that, despite going out in eight-under 28, he came off the Fife links with regrets.
“It was an unbelievable first nine and with nine birdies and an eagle on your scorecard overall you can never be too disappointed,” Rose said, after his 64. “But I did doublebogey the 12th and made a bogey on the 15th as well, so you inevitably ‘think what could have been?’ But it has got back me into the golf tournament and we are at St Andrews all weekend, so you couldn’t ask for much more.”
Rose has not won since February and although his season can hardly be classed as disastrous, it has yet to reach the peaks of 2018 that saw him reach world No1. A victory in this glorified pro-am would take him into the outskirts of contention for the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and his form on the greens makes him confident of collecting the £680,000 first prize at the Old Course tomorrow.
“I’ve been putting really well all year, but the last month the putter has been more cold than I’d like,” he said. “Today I started to get that self-belief going with the putter again and that is what you need to do to win tournaments.”
On 12 under, Rose is two behind countryman Matthew Jordan. The 23-year-old from the Wirral shot a 64 at St Andrews to take a one-shot advantage over the Londoner Matthew Southgate, Scotland’s Calum Hill and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren. Tyrrell Hatton is on 10 under following a 68 at Kingsbarns, with Tommy Fleetwood on nine-under after his 69
Rory Mcilroy is one further back after his 66 and while it was bogeyfree, he was like Rose in the respect that he expected rather more after going through the first five-holes in five-under.
“I thought at that point, ‘geez, I could shoot something really low with three par-fives coming up, but it wasn’t to be,” Mcilroy said. “Just one more birdie after that. Obviously no dropped shots, but decidedly average after the fifth hole on what was an easy day for low scoring. I just need to make a few more putts fall over the weekend at St Andrews.”