:: News 09

THE TIMES ONLINE, AUGUST 15 2009 - JUSTIN ROSE: PUTTING AND LUCK FORCED EARLY EXIT

It might be hard to believe, but even though I missed the cut at Hazeltine, I walked off not overly disappointed. Sure, I was sick not to be playing at the weekend but I knew that I had tried my heart out. At times I felt like a boxer. I'd get knocked down, would get back up and then would come out swinging.

If I were to single out one area that my game is letting me down, it is probably my putting. But not only that, as all golfers know, when things start to go wrong it also seems that you don't get the lucky breaks.

Take the 15th for example. I had birdied the hole before that to get under the cut line and then I drove out of bounds at this huge par five when my ball hit a tree and ricocheted the wrong way. Hunter Mahan, who I was playing with, did the same thing and his ball bounced back on to the fairway. That's just the way it goes, but a double bogey there meant I left myself needing to birdie one of the last three holes to make the cut, but I came up short.

No excuses, but I could not get to grip with the greens. They reminded me of the greens at Torrey Pines, where we played the US Open last year. They were crusty and bobbly and for some reason I find those kinds of surfaces difficult to putt on. It also makes you realise how good a putter Tiger Woods is because he seems to get the ball rolling well on any surface. I wish I knew his secret.

I shall take time to look back over those 36 holes and try to analyse my thought processes. It was a complete mix of birdies, bogeys and double bogeys, which means there was some good stuff in among the indifferent. What I need is to find my consistency again.

I think I am hitting the ball better now than in 2007, when I finished as No 1 in Europe, but that year was all about confidence. That's one of the things that is lacking right now. It's a chicken-and-egg situation - results come with confidence, confidence comes with results. I am sure, though, that I can turn it around. I just need to find a way of breaking through that barrier. I've got a nice run of events coming up, on courses that I enjoy, so I am sure it is going to click into place soon.

I take heart from what Padraig [Harrington] is doing. Earlier this year his form deserted him but, like me, he was working hard and was confident that he could turn it around. The last week has certainly proved that he was right. One good thing about Paddy is that he does not get too down on himself. I must think along the same lines.

With Tiger leading by four shots going into the weekend, it is hard to see anybody other than him winning it. You have to marvel at him. You don't want to put him on a pedestal because you are trying to beat him, but you have to accept that he is playing to a different level. On our day, all of us could give him a run - it is just that he produces such high-quality golf week in, week out.

For me it's now a case of getting my game back to where it belongs. It will not be for want of trying.

THE TIMES ONLINE, AUGUST 14 2009 - JUSTIN ROSE'S US PGA DIARY: FINISH LEAVES ME FRUSTRATED

It does not get more frustrating than this. You always hope to get off to a good start in the majors and while everybody knows you cannot win a tournament on the first day, you can lose one. It's not quite as bad as that, but after dropping three shots in my first four holes and then turning it around fantastically on the inward nine I felt I had played myself back into the championship.

But I had one of those finishes that leaves you screaming with frustration. When I came to the 8th hole, my 17th, I was on two under par and in a share of sixth place. I had put my indifferent start behind me and was beginning to get the measure of the course. How else could you explain a run of five birdies in six holes from the 2nd, four on the trot from the 4th?

I had to battle really hard, but there was a lot of good stuff in there and I was pleased with the way I started to turn things around. I hit some quality iron shots and at two under par with two to play, I was perfectly placed. And then I finished bogey, double bogey. I don't really know why. It just suddenly got away from me.

The 8th is a really tricky par three. At 176 yards it is not particularly long but you have to hit the green. Standing on the tee I didn't feel comfortable. I didn't commit to my shot, hit it badly, and made bogey. Then I compounded the error with that double bogey at the last, which was a shame because the hole was playing relatively easy.

I was facing a nasty, long shot from a greenside bunker for my third shot and had to play it aggressively. It was a do or die shot and I tried to fly it all the way. But it flew over the green and I took three more to get down. It was shattering. I had turned the whole thing around and had worked my way back into the tournament. Now I've got to go out there tomorrow and fight again. And with Tiger leading the way, you don't want to throw away shots unnecessarily. It's more than a little frustrating, but I have no intention of giving up. I've just got to keep grinding away.

THE TIMES, AUGUST 13 2009 - JUSTIN ROSE'S US PGA DIARY: MIXED MEMORIES OF FRESH BATTLE WITH HAZELTINE MONSTER

It is never too late to turn around a season, so although it has not been a great one so far, I am hoping this week to capitalise on some decent form and to mount a serious challenge for the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine. I opened poorly with a 75 at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio last week, but then had three rounds in the 60s — just the sort of preparation I needed for the last major of the season.

Much is being made of the length of the Hazeltine course that has greeted us. At 7,674 yards from the back tees it is a monster, the longest course in the history of the majors. I played in the same tournament there in 2002 and they have lengthened it by more than 300 yards. We shouldn't be surprised, though. It's what we find almost everywhere we play now.

To tell the truth, I never worry about how long a course plays on the Monday or Tuesday of tournament week because by the time you tee it up on the first day it tends to play so differently. You have no idea how the organisers will set up the course, or which tee markers they will move up, so there is no point worrying about it. I always find that on the practice days the courses play really long because you play them from the back tees. Then generally they let the course firm up and dry out and you suddenly find the ball begins to roll a bit more.

One thing I do know is that it will be an emotional week for me. I have good and bad memories of Hazeltine in 2002. It was the first and last event my dad saw me play in America. It was a month before he died and when I look down the range I can still see him standing there, watching me practise. I'm sad thinking about it but glad that he got to see me play my first pro event in America. I was not much more than a kid.

One thing on a lot of minds this week is the pace of play, and the warning that Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods were given in the final round at Firestone on Sunday. Tiger has been critical of the timing of the warning and has said it threw Padraig off his game at a crucial moment.

It is tempting to slow down when you are in the hunt, but the blame was not laid solely at Padraig's feet. Tiger, especially on his putts, plays exceptionally slowly on Sundays, but common sense generally prevails. Rules are rules, though, and being in the last group should not give you a particular advantage. If it's two or three minutes that you are behind, then OK.

Obviously TV is a huge part of what we do. If you've got guys playing too slowly, nothing works. TV times don't work, finishing times don't work. We have to be aware of that and try to play accordingly, but there is no doubt that, given the hoopla that surrounds playing with Tiger, it's a tougher environment. That's one of the reasons he wins so many times. That's why he never relinquishes a lead and why guys have such a hard time beating him. You are playing the same golf course that you have played for the first three days but suddenly it's a different atmosphere.

It has proved a talking point, but if you are a long way behind you should be put on the clock. It's a shame that the warning could influence a tournament like it did because it was such a great battle. I got on the plane at Cleveland to fly to Minneapolis when Padraig was on the 16th tee and one shot ahead. Half the lads were picking Padraig to win and half were saying it was going to be Tiger, possibly in a play-off.

When I turned on the phone at the other end I thought "How the hell did that happen?" But that's already in the past. Today there will be only one thing on anyone's mind — and that will be lifting the huge Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday evening. I shall give it my best shot.

THE TIMES ONLINE, AUGUST 13 2009 JUSTIN ROSE'S US PGA DIARY: MY GAME'S IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE

I'm happy with my game at the moment and believe I can mount a strong challenge for this PGA Championship. Any time you shoot three rounds in the sixties at Firestone, as I did last week, you know you are doing a lot of things well. That makes 11 really solid rounds out of my last 12.

The 75 that I had on the first day of the Bridgestone Invitational came from nowhere, but I'd had a couple of weeks off and it just took a little while to get the competitive juices flowing again.

But I shall go into the first round here having worked really hard at building some momentum for this week. I am viewing it as an eight-round process, starting last week. Although I had a bad first day, I told myself there were seven rounds to go and so I started working at getting better each day.

I also feel refreshed again after taking two weeks off after the Open Championship at Turnberry. That was the first proper break I've had this year. Kate and I went to Italy for the first week and my mum looked after Leo for four nights. It was stinking hot, but lovely. The clubs are not allowed to travel on holiday, so it meant we had nice food, good wine and plenty of rest.

Now though it is back to business. Last week was a heavy one in terms of practice but you can't continue to do that and expect to feel fresh enough come Sunday to put yourself in with a chance of winning. So I've kept it short and sweet this week.

I see that Poults (Ian Poulter) has Twittered me. He took a picture of me having a pee on our plane from Cleveland to Minneapolis and put it out there for all to see. He's a menace with that camera. The reason I didn't lock the door in the first place was because I didn't trust him to let me out. But I shall get him back. Let's just say the game never ends. I shall find a good riposte although he won't know when it's coming. Hopefully it has been taken in good spirit because it was all done in jest.