Golf: Rose wins Pebble Beach Pro-Am to end four-year drought

SAN FRANCISCO -- Justin Rose captured his first title in four years on Monday, making three morning birdies after a back-nine restart to win the US PGA Tour's Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Rose made long birdie putts at the 11th and 13th holes and birdied 14 -- all in response to birdies by his closest rivals -- to secure the triumph.

Former world number one Rose grabbed his 11th career PGA victory and his first since 2019 at Torrey Pines, another California oceanside course.

"Time flies by, doesn't it?" Rose said. "It's amazing how long it has been.

"Sometimes you just do need a result. You can believe you're making progress but there's nothing like lifting some hardware to give you that peace of mind and that little bit of confidence."

The 42-year-old Englishman finished on 18-under par 269 after going three-under on Monday to complete a final round of six-under par 66.

"This is just a moment to say thanks to people who believe in me than probably more than I do," Rose said. "My team have been incredible. My family at home... this one is for you guys.

"What a place to win a tournament... waves crashing up. It was just an epic scene. It makes me emotional almost to win here at Pebble."

Rose closed with four pars to become the first European champion at the event over the famed Monterey Peninsula layout, defeating Americans Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu by three strokes with US players Keith Mitchell, Peter Malnati and Denny McCarthy another stroke adrift.

The victory earned Rose berths at the Masters in April and PGA Championship in May.

"Just had an unbelievable week," Rose said. "Incredible week from start to finish with so much happening in my favor."

A high wind delay on Saturday had ensured a Monday finish, one of many distractions Rose navigated, including playing alongside amateurs in earlier rounds, something Rose said helped keep him calm.

"That's the beauty of this tournament," Rose said. "There is a lot going on. There are the amateurs. There's the odd bounce on the greens or wobbly putts or forecast that doesn't make sense. There's a lot that can be thrown at you."

Rose, ranked 71st, was on 15-under par when the final round was halted by darkness on Sunday -- two strokes ahead of Malnati, McCarthy and Todd.

- Rose sinks clutch putts -

Rose, whose lone major triumph came at the 2013 US Open, returned to the course in the 10th fairway and went on to par the hole.

Todd opened his Monday with a birdie at the 13th, a putt from just inside eight feet pulling him within one of the lead.

Rose, the 2016 Rio Olympic champion, responded by sinking a birdie putt from just inside 27 feet at the 11th to reach 16-under and restore his two-stroke margin.

"I wanted to stay on the front foot. I knew some guys were going to make a run," Rose said.

"Making that first five-footer of the day I felt was huge and then rolling in a 30-footer right on top of it at number 11 was exatly what I was looking for.

"I was able to build on that and make another couple of nice putts for momentum."

Todd sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th, but Rose struck back again by rolling in a 19-foot birdie putt at the 13th to reclaim a two-shot edge, a fist pump showing his excitement.

Malnati, playing alongside Rose, holed a 31-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th to grab third on 14-under.

But moments later, Rose again answered a challenge. The Englishman sank a seven-foot birdie putt at 14 -- his third birdie in four holes -- to reach 18-under and stretch his lead over Todd to three strokes, where it stayed to the finish.

"The birdies at 13 and 14 put me in great position. Then it was about keeping it clean," Rose said. "I got calmer and calmer."

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Justin Rose fires stunning 65 to lead Masters by 4 shots

Justin Rose humbled a firm and fast Augusta National layout that wreaked havoc upon many of the world's top golfers, seizing a four-stroke lead on Thursday at the 85th Masters.

Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, birdied five of the last seven holes in shooting a seven-under par 65, his career-low score by two strokes in 59 Masters rounds.

The 40-year-old Englishman defied a lightning-fast layout that baffled his rivals by going nine-under over the last 11 holes, the best such Masters closing run by any golfer since 2004.

"The start was slow but a little bit of experience kicked in, knowing it was a tough day out here," Rose said. "I knew if I could keep it near par it would be a good day."

Rose, a Masters runner-up in 2015 and 2017, took the 18-hole lead for the fourth time in the green jacket fight, after 2004, 2007 and 2008.

"Even if I haven't got an arm in the jacket yet, I feel like I've been there to see what it's all about," Rose said.

Using a deft touch with irons and putter to solve the intimidating layout, Rose overcame bogeys at the first and seventh holes starting with an eagle at the par-5 eighth.

"Making eagle there was huge," Rose said.

Rose said he was uncertain where his game stood, his last win coming in 2019 at Torrey Pines, but found form quickly after that.

Rose followed with back-to-back birdies at nine and 10, curling in a long putt at the latter, and managed the feat again in Amen Corner at the par-3 12th and par-5 13th, dropping his approaches within five feet.

He reeled off three more in a row, capped by a five-footer at 17, and closed with a par to take command of the green jacket chase, matching his second-best round at any major.

Rose's lead matched the second-best after 18 holes in Masters history, trailing only winner Craig Wood's record five strokes from 1941.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and American Brian Harman shared second on 69. Neither has ever won a major -- or any US PGA Tour event since 2017.

"I've never seen the greens so firm and fast," 10th-time starter Matsuyama said. "It was like a new course for me playing today and I was fortunate to get it around well."

Sharing fourth on 70 were 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, Masters debutant Will Zalatoris and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Mistakes were magnified around the hard-baked greens with winds adding to the intense challenge, foiling many favorites.

Top-ranked defending champion Dustin Johnson, trying to become only the fourth back-to-back winner, lipped out a two-foot putt at 18 to close with a double bogey and shoot 74.

"Conditions were very difficult," said Johnson. "I felt like I played pretty well. "The last hole left a little sour taste in my mouth.

"The greens are always challenging but the wind, too. It was gusting and blowing and pretty hard to judge."

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, seeking a victory to complete a career Grand Slam, was off to his worst Masters start with a 76.

"The par-5s you can birdie but then you have to be happy with giving yourself 25-, 30-footers every time," McIlroy said. "If you can do that, you've played a really good round."

England's Lee Westwood, trying to become the oldest Masters winner at age 47 after runner-up efforts last month at Bay Hill and the Players, opened on 78.

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, playing despite right knee surgery last month, reeled off three bogeys in a row starting at the par-3 12th but two birdies followed at 15 and 16 and he opened with a 74.

"It can get pretty dicey out here if you put it in the wrong spot, the way these greens are," Koepka said.

- 'It was a battle' -

Third-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm, who only arrived Wednesday after being with his wife for the birth of their first child, missed a short par putt at 18 to finish on 72.

"It was a battle," Rahm said. "There was not one moment where I felt relaxed out there... everybody struggled."

Reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, a winner last month at Bay Hill, was 4-under after 16 holes. He found bushes in making a double bogey at the par-3 fourth.

Augusta National welcomed the first spectators at a major championship since 2019 after Covid-19 forced a ban on fans last year. A limited number of patrons, reportedly about 12,000, were allowed under virus safety protocols.

Agence France-Presse

Rose unfazed by top spot ahead of 2019 debut

LOS ANGELES -- Justin Rose says he won't be weighed down by his world number one ranking when he makes his 2019 debut at the PGA Tour's Desert Classic in La Quinta, California on Thursday.

The English ace makes his first appearance of the year when he tees it up in the 60th edition of the tournament staged at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, southeast of Los Angeles.

The 2016 Olympic champion enjoyed a stellar season last year, posting just one finish outside the top 25 and clinching victory in the lucrative FedEx Cup postseason. 

He narrowly missed out on finishing 2018 as world number one but reclaimed the ranking from Brooks Koepka last week after the American could only finish 24th at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

The 38-year-old Englishman told reporters on Wednesday however he will not be preoccupied by trying to retain his place at the summit of the world rankings this year.

"You only get to number one in the world by playing consistently good golf and that's always been my goal, to try and get the best out of my game week-in, week-out," Rose said.

"Once (No.1) presented itself it became a big goal and it's been a fantastic milestone in my career to have got there. 

"But I feel like having got there now it's about letting it go a little bit, in the sense of, I need to focus on other goals now. If I achieve those other goals I'll remain at the top."

Rose, whose last outing came at the Indonesian Masters in Jakarta last month, will be playing his first tournament since switching to Homna golf clubs.

"Of course there's a few unknowns; there's always a settling-in period with change generally," Rose said. 

"Obviously I believe that I've made some good decisions and some good changes, and I feel confident about things. But you never quite know until the scorecard is in your hand.

"There will be some learning this week, and potentially tweaking next week. It's just about going out and playing and getting comfortable with it."

Rose will move from La Quinta to the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines outside San Diego next week.

Rose can expect stiff competition from Spain's defending champion Jon Rahm while two-time former winner Phil Mickelson is also in the field.

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Golf: Molinari plots course through the mayhem to win British Open

Woods fades to tied sixth after topping leaderboard

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland -- Francesco Molinari kept the coolest head in Carnoustie as he steered a steady course through a wild afternoon of nail-biting tension at the British Open on Sunday to become the first Italian major champion.

With a strong breeze causing mayhem at the top of the leaderboard which a charging Tiger Woods had topped with nine holes to play, the 35-year-old Molinari buckled down to produce a flawless 69 and claim victory by two strokes.

Overnight leaders Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner ended two shots back in four-way tie for second place with England's Justin Rose and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.

Molinari ended a compelling four-day drama on eight-under 276 -- the lowest combined score in the eight Carnoustie Opens.

Huge crowds descended on the seaside links and the majority were willing Woods to claim a fairytale 15th major a decade after his last one. But it was the American's playing partner Molinari who wrote his own script to claim his major breakthrough at the 36th time of asking.

With defending champion Jordan Spieth, Woods, English duo Rose and Tommy Fleetwood and McIlroy in the Sunday mix, the Molinari sub-plot was almost overlooked as the leading groups went out.

Yet his recent form, two wins and two runners-up finishes in his last five tournaments, should have served as a warning on a day when a steady hand was needed on the tiller.

While Spieth, Schauffele and Kisner endured a rollercoaster ride across the sun-blasted links, as if spooked by the presence of a resurgent Woods, Molinari cranked out 13 consecutive pars before making his move.

He rolled in a birdie on the par-five 14th to move into the lead on seven-under.

With Rose and McIlroy in the clubhouse on six-under, Schauffele fought back from a 40-stroke outward nine to get to seven-under but Molinari was unflappable.

Carnoustie's 18th hole has witnessed its fair share of horror shows but Molinari safely negotiated the snaking Barry Burn with his tee shot before planting his second to six feet.

Molinari was a picture of calm as he walked up to his putt and only after it disappeared into the cup did he allow his mask to slip -- turning to punch the air.

MOST ANXIOUS

The most anxious he looked all day was sitting watching Californian Schauffele play the 17th and 18th.

When Schauffele's par putt stayed out on the 17th the Italian puffed out his cheeks knowing only an eagle for the American at the last could deny him.

The moment Schauffele's approach stopped short on the 18th green the celebrations could start.

"It is absolutely amazing," Turin-born Molinari, who went bogey-free from the 17th hole of his second round, said.

"The course bit me a few times the first couple of days, but then to go bogey-free over the weekend on a course like this is incredible. For the first time I felt like I was ready for it.

"Playing with Tiger makes it even more special. I couldn't have written it any better."

Molinari broke a sequence of five majors won by Americans and for a while Woods looked like making it six.

In his trademark red shirt, the 42-year-old looked in complete control as he birdied the fourth and sixth holes.

He reached the turn in 34 strokes and with Spieth and Schauffele imploding a few holes back Woods was suddenly clear at the top of the leaderboard on seven-under.

A miss-hit flop shot at the 11th ended cost him a double-bogey that stopped him in his tracks and although he birdied the 14th to stay in the hunt he fell just short, finishing in a tie for sixth on five-under.

Spieth's hopes of emulating Woods by winning the Claret Jug for a second successive year withered away as he slumped to a final-round 76 on a desperately hard scoring day.

He had looked assured as he began with four pars but a bogey at the fifth rattled him and the wheels fell off when a trip to a gorse bush ended with a double-bogey at the sixth.

McIlroy had struggled to make any headway but when he eagled the 14th he rocketed to the top of the leaderboard.

Rose also eagled the par-five 14th -- the only hole that was offering any gifts as a course so docile on Saturday bit back.

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Rose triumphs at Colonial for ninth PGA Tour win

Justin Rose used a blistering start to cruise to his second win of the PGA Tour season with a three-shot victory at the Fort Worth Invitational in Texas on Sunday.

The Englishman, who began the day with a four-stroke lead, fired six front-nine birdies en route to a six-under-par 64 at Colonial Country Club that left him one shot off the tournament record score of 21-under 259 set by Zach Johnson in 2010.

With the victory, Rose tied Nick Faldo for the most PGA Tour wins by an Englishman post-World War Two, with nine.

"I am delighted the way I played this week," said Rose, who played the course for the first time in eight years. "I haven't played this venue in a while but to win on a golf course like Colonial I couldn't be more proud."

Olympic champion Rose had a chance to equal Johnson's record score but failed to convert his 23-foot par attempt at the last, where he carded his second bogey of the day.

U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who started the final round in a share of second place with Argentine Emiliano Grillo (64), finished alone in the runner-up spot after going one better than playing competitor Rose with a seven-under 63.

Grillo birdied two of the final three holes to finish in third place, four shots behind Rose while sizzling American Kevin Na finished a further two shots back in fourth place after he set a course record with a bogey-free, nine-under 61.

Rose, whose first win this season came at last October's World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, got off to a fast start with consecutive birdies to open his round before settling for a bogey at the par-four third where he failed to convert an 11-foot birdie putt.

But that did little to take the wind from the former U.S. Open champion's sails as he birdied four of the final five holes on the front nine before adding another pair at the 11th and 15th holes.

Despite the solid outing, Rose said he still felt he had work to do before next month's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he will seek his second career major.

"This week was a big step in the right direction, taking the range game to the golf course," said Rose. "There is always a little bit of a lag effect, you know you see your progress on the range long before you see it on the golf course.

"This week it came for me but there is still more work to be done."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Clare Fallon)

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Rose stretches Fort Worth lead to four strokes

LOS ANGELES -- Justin Rose got off to a sizzling start in sweltering conditions Saturday, then held on to push his PGA Fort Worth Invitational lead to four shots with a third-round 66.

England's Rose birdied four of the first six holes at Colonial Country Club, where temperatures reached 100 degrees Farenheit (38 C).

His 14-under par total of 196 put him four clear of another US Open winner, Brooks Koepka, and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.

After a two-putt birdie at the par-five first, Rose drained putts of eight feet and 19 feet at the second and third to separate himself from the field.

"I'm happy with the way I played, obviously," Rose said. "It was nice to get going, nice to build up that lead. No one seemed to do too much behind me today, so it felt like it was in my hands to get as far ahead as I could."

Koepka, warming up for his defense of the 2017 US Open crown at Shinnecock in June, rolled in a 16-foot birdie putt at 18 to seize a share of second with a three-under par 67 for 200. With five birdies on the day he overcame a double-bogey seven at the 11th -- his second double at the par-five hole this week.

Grillo, who started the day one shot off Rose's lead, couldn't build much momentum.

He opened with eight straight pars before his first birdie of the day at the ninth, then played the back in even par with a birdie and a bogey for a one-under 69.

It was a further two strokes back to a group headed by world number four Jon Rahm of Spain, who birdied five of the first eight holes -- including three in a row from the sixth through the eighth -- en route to a six-under 64.

He was joined on 202 by Canadian rookie Corey Conners, who had eight birdies in a seen-under par 63, as well as South African Louis Oosthuizen (64), JT Poston (65) and Ryan Armour (66).

Rose, who also birdied six and 11, made his lone bogey with a three-putt from the fringe at 16. He admitted that he struggled with the heat in the latter stages of his round.

"I really felt I was battling the golf course and my concentration a little bit," said Rose, whose most recent win came in December's Indonesian Masters. "It was kind of tough to finish it off in the heat today."

- 11 baffles Koepka -

Koepka, playing his fourth tournament since he was sidelined for 15 weeks with a wrist injury, said he played "OK."

"I'm putting really well," he said. "Eleven has my number this week -- I don't know what's going on. Two doubles there, a par-five I need to be eating it up. If I can just figure out a way to play that hole I should be just fine."

Rose, the 2013 US Open winner and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, notched victories in Turkey and Shanghai last year, his victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions counting toward this season's PGA Tour win tally.

The 37-year-old said taking a four-shot lead into the final round would be a balancing act.

"You're always kind of caught between trying to go out and play great and trying to not make mistakes," he said, but added that he couldn't afford to be too conservative.

"I feel like there's a score in this golf course. I've got to expect the chasing pack to play well."

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Rose cruises to Indonesian Masters title

England's Justin Rose carded a 10-under-par 62 in the final round of the Indonesian Masters on Sunday to record a dominant eight-stroke victory at the Asian Tour event.

Play was delayed on Friday and Saturday due to multiple weather interruptions, forcing world number six Rose to complete his third round on Sunday morning and the 37-year-old carded 66.

Rose returned to hit nine birdies and one eagle in the last round and record the largest winning margin on the Asian Tour this year at the Royal Jakarta Golf Club.


"It is my last event of the season, to finish the year on a good note and still have a couple of weeks to enjoy this win over Christmas and New Year is really nice too," Rose said.

"It is the lowest ever winning score (-29) and to win by eight shots, all of that are huge positives.

"The largest winning margin for me in a tournament, to come here with my game in good shape, have the deal with bad weather and jet-lag and stay focused on all four rounds, is something that I am really pleased about..."

The victory completed a fine year for Rose who was runner-up in the U.S. Masters and won the WGC-HSBC Champions and the Turkish Airlines Open in successive weeks on the way to finishing second in the European Tour's Race to Dubai.

Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai finished second after carding a seven-under-par 65 followed by Zimbabwe's Scott Vincent, Japan's Yusaku Miyazato and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)

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VIRAL: Heckling golf fan has last laugh

Has the @rydercup started already?????????? pic.twitter.com/s6EImcbnZv

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) September 29, 2016

CHASKA, Minnesota -- A fan who heckled European Ryder Cup duo Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan when they could not make a putt in practice on Thursday celebrated as if he had won $1 million after being invited to show what he could do.

McIlroy, Sullivan, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose pulled David Johnson out of the crowd at Hazeltine National and offered him $100 if he could do any better.

Johnson responded by rolling a 15-foot putt straight into the hole before launching into an extravagant series of fist-pumps and high fives.

A grinning Stenson pointed to the sky as the ball disappeared into the cup and then gave the fan a big bear hug.

McIlroy, Rose and Sullivan also embraced Johnson in delight before the beaming fan raised his $100 bill into the air with pride.

"I closed my eyes, hit the putt and it happened to go in," he told reporters.

Holders Europe will be chasing a fourth successive victory over the United States when the biennial team event gets underway on Friday.

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Rose wins playoff for sixth PGA Tour win

Justin Rose emerged last man standing to win the $6.5 million Quicken Loans National at the first extra hole in a playoff at Congressional Country Club in Maryland on Sunday.

Britain's Rose sank a 15-foot bogey putt at the final regulation hole before parring it a few minutes later to edge unheralded American Shawn Stefani in Bethesda.

Rose and Stefani each shot 70 to finish regulation at four-under-par 280 on a course that played much tougher than when it hosted the U.S. Open three years ago, due to firm and fast conditions and plenty of lush rough.

"I think Congressional got its reputation back after the U.S. Open," Rose, whose 72-hole score was 12 strokes higher than Rory McIlroy carded to win the Open, told CBS television.

Rose, 33, collected $1.170 million for his sixth PGA Tour victory, and his second in this event, with his previous triumph coming in 2010 at another classic course, Aronimink near Philadelphia.

He also has won six times internationally.

"It's great to win on a course like this because you can't luck into it," said the 2013 U.S. Open champion.

"I had to rely on different parts of my game all week. I was really pleased to see the PGA Tour set it up tough. It was fair but you had to play good strategic golf.

"It hasn't been lost on me that I haven't won for a year. It's a huge boost confidence-wise for sure going into a major championship."

Rose stumbled at the end of regulation. He sank an eight-foot putt to save par at the 17th hole and then got up-and-down from 30 yards for bogey at the par-four 18th after pulling his second shot from the rough into the pond guarding the left side of the green.

But Stefani, ranked 246th in the world, found the same watery grave in the playoff and could not do better than double bogey, handing Rose the tournament.

Stefani earned a consolation prize of a berth in the July 17-20 British Open, as did fellow Americans Charley Hoffman, Ben Martin and Brendan Steele.

Overnight leader Patrick Reed's reputation as a good frontrunner took a battering when he shot 77 to finish four strokes behind.

He had won the previous three times when he led after 54 holes.

Five players were tied late on the front nine before Rose and Stefani emerged from the pack to finish one stroke better than Hoffman and Martin.

Reed was not the only contender to struggle. South Korean Noh Seung-Yul started the day equal second, but had a back nine meltdown, limping home in 43 strokes for a 79.

(Reporting By Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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