Justin accepts there will be no double act
TRY as he might, Justin Rose knows he is not going to win The Scottish Open and The Open in successive weeks.
He arrived at Royal Liverpool as the favourite after his win in Aberdeen last Sunday and victory at Congressional in his previous event.
But things have conspired against him over the first three rounds and Rose won’t repeat what Phil Mickelson did 12 months ago.
He was on the wrong side of the draw on days one and two and could only watch as Rory McIlroy and Co. were making plenty of birdies.
Last year’s US Open Champion signed for a decent three- under 69, but he recognisned that he needed something much lower to get into contention.
“I just feel like I’ve used up my luck over the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“This week has been hard going. I’ve played well and not got the most out of how I feel I’ve played.
“Plus I was on the wrong side of the draw. There is only one guy ahead of me from that side, so I’m nearly leading the other Open!
“The thing with golf is that most weeks you play, you don’t get the most out of it. When you do, that’s when you win. And I’ve not had that hot run this week.”
Rose only found out about the two- tee start late on Friday night and admitted that the unusual format took away one of the key elements of ‘moving day’.
“In any tournament, if you go out early in the morning, you have a chance to put pressure on the leaders,” he said.
“That is why finishing off tournaments is very hard. Typically you get the worst end of the golf course, as well as all the pressure.
“If you were leading The Open, it was a nice opportunity to come out and play amongst a very level playing field.”
US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson has a double brief at Hoylake this week, as he watches as well as competes alongside the players he will skipper at Gleneagles in September.
While most 64- year- olds would be thrilled to shoot a three- over 75, the same doesn’t apply to the five-time Open winner.
“The galleries were very kind and generous to me with their applause,” he said.
“But I didn’t show them anything.
“The golf course was there for the taking and I gave it away. I should have been going low but I went in the other direction.”