Britain’s Justin Rose is bidding for his second major title at Royal Troon.
Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, shot a three-under 68, tying the day’s lowest score, to move to five under. He was tied for second with fellow countryman Daniel Brown, ranked 272nd in the world, at the halfway point. Rose will play in the penultimate pairing on Saturday with American Billy Horschel.
But he drilled a 41-foot birdie shot on the 18th green to cap off a masterful round in style.
“It was a really fun way to end it,” Rose said.
“Of course I celebrated. I realized I didn’t have to take another shot. It was a good round of golf that I played really hard and I was able to really let my guard down and enjoy the day. It was a pretty full house on a Friday afternoon and to finish like that was special of course. I’m really glad I got to enjoy that play.”
Rose’s birdie on the 18th hole Perhaps the loudest cheer of the day came from a crowd plagued by 30-mile-per-hour wind gusts throughout the day, which elicited countless cheers, sighs and groans, but Rose only made one bogey on the par-4 12th, the toughest hole on the course. He answered with a par-breaker on the 18th and three more birdies.
“I think today the weather was beyond our control, so it was a situation where I was aiming to the right of the pin, slicing the ball and watching the ball hook,” Rose said.
“So the wind was controlling the ball. The players couldn’t control the wind. I think that was the turning point today. I felt like I could play yesterday. I felt like it was a fair fight yesterday. Today we just had to survive a little bit longer.”
Rose not only survived, she soared.
From his final qualifying appearance until he was about to play in the final pairing on Saturday, Rose has been hitting every aspect of his game well. He’s hitting the ball well from tee to green and ranks third among the field in overall strokes gained. He’s also ranked 12th in putting strokes gained, as evidenced by his final birdie of the day. Rose also has all the intangibles needed to win a major championship.
But can Rose become the first Briton to lift the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo achieved the feat 30 years ago?
“That’s nice,” Rose said.
“When I won the U.S. Open, it was the first time since Tony Jacklin [in 1970]So when it all comes together, it’s a great moment and we get to share the story of what it means, but we never really think about it and we’re pretty selfish in that respect. Like we want it for ourselves and, of course, it would be great to share it with everyone it means, but in that moment, we’re just trying to get the job done.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
