Short game guiding Rose near top of leaderboard
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PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 14: Justin Rose of England waves to the crowd on the second green during the second round of the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on June 14, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – His steady ball-striking has been a bit off. An ill-timed camera click contributed to a tee shot into a penalty area. And yet, Justin Rose leads the U.S. Open.
Rose followed his first-round 65 with a 70 on Friday to sit at 7-under 135. He was the solo leader after the morning wave completed play and sits just two shots back of 36-hole leader Gary Woodland.
Rose, one of the game’s best iron players, has hit just 19 greens in the first two days.
His short game, likely his most underrated skill, has saved him.
“I'll say my short game has been really, really strong this week,” he said. “I've made a lot of putts inside 10 feet. I've managed my game really well. I've missed it in the wrong spots. I've always given myself an opportunity to salvage something out of every hole I've played. And I haven't compounded any mistakes so far.”
His chipping and pitching has impressed one of the PGA TOUR’s short-game masters who witnessed it first-hand over the opening two rounds.
“He's chipping and putting beautifully, and not hitting it probably as well as he'd like to, and he's still leading the U.S. Open,” said Jordan Spieth. “So that's scary.”
Rose has made just three bogeys this week. One of them came on the short fourth hole, where his tee shot sailed over the cliffs. Rose immediately turned toward the stands and told the fans that he heard their cameras click during his swing. Rose took the blame for the mishit, though.
“Ultimately, I never really felt set on that shot,” he said.
He spent time after the round trying to recalibrate his technically-sound swing. Rose was seen on the practice area past 4 p.m. Friday, well after he finished his round. Not that there should be too much cause for concern. He remembers fighting his swing during his U.S. Open win six years ago at Merion, as well.
“I still remember working through the week with Sean (Foley, Rose's swing coach) at Merion, I still wasn't 100 percent dialed into my long game,” Rose said. “Sometimes, it's nice to be in contention with things to work on going into the weekend. Sometimes, if you feel perfect after two days, it's sometimes hard to keep that level every single day. So that could be similar.”
Rose is trying to become the first reigning FedExCup champion to win the U.S. Open since Tiger Woods in 2008. Rose won on the California Coast earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open and ranks 10th in the FedExCup.
Sean Martin manages PGATOUR.COM’s staff of writers as the Lead, Editorial. He covered all levels of competitive golf at Golfweek Magazine for seven years, including tournaments on four continents, before coming to the PGA TOUR in 2013. Follow Sean Martin on Twitter.