Q. How would you assess how the morning went for you? Great finish there over at Monterey Peninsula.
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, the morning couldn't have gone better. The way my day finished up yesterday it was interesting. We were one of those problematic groups there on the 9th hole where the ball was really moving around the cup. I hit a 5-wood miraculously to three feet right before they blew the horn. As I was going to mark my ball it blew seven feet down the green. So I kind of faced that 7-footer overnight in my mind. Kind of one of those moments you come out in the morning, you make the putt and the momentum was up and running.
Then the hail storm came. I don't know if you guys had it here. That was like, what is going on. Just as we were kind of got -- like what more can they throw at us this week. But once that came out it actually began to feel a bit more pleasant out there. The sun started poking through. The westerly breeze -- we caught a huge break, no doubt. The westerly please breeze playing Monterey Peninsula the last back nine is a huge advantage to that southerly breeze that the guys faced yesterday. Didn't make it easy, obviously, but made it more playable. The putter got hot there for a while. It was fun to take advantage.
Q. You hit a 5-wood into 9?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, like back foot, trapped as low as I could. 4-iron wasn't going to cut it. I didn't like 3-wood. Yeah, I heard that Harry Hall actually hit driver there on Thursday when we had that squall come through. I mean, some crazy stuff. Yeah, that's kind of links golf, right, sort of what it's meant to be.
Q. Did you call for an official yesterday after your ball moved?
JUSTIN ROSE: There was one there. Because they had been having trouble with that hole. As soon as he saw the ball gusting down the green -- he hung with us a bit. They spritzed the green for awhile. Given the forecast just being getting worse and worse with sustained wind it was like, yeah.
Q. How much, on a stop and start like this, how much momentum can you bring to a different course just given your, just given the vibes of holing putts and scoring well.
JUSTIN ROSE: It's probably a totally different reset. It's a reset, I would say. Different visuals, different -- it's going to be a different energy this afternoon. Obviously people are back in. Just pros. So, yeah, something to get ready for.
Haven't been in a final -- well, I'm lying. I was in a final group not long ago with Tony Finau in Houston on a Sunday. But he kind of ran away with the tournament so it was like you're playing for second, I suppose there.
But, yeah, so it's not that far removed from a final group. Which is good to see that my game, even though not feeling my best, is beginning to kind of produce a few opportunities for me.
Q. Are you in the field next week?
JUSTIN ROSE: No.
Q. So you weren't thinking about anything to try to get in except for winning here?
JUSTIN ROSE: No, exactly. I'm going home.
Q. You were on the 18th here when you had to hold your ball because there was a gust of wind. When you got to 9 at the Country Club did you feel like this is following me, I'm cursed?
JUSTIN ROSE: Well, listen, no, it's happening to everybody all around us. That's the mentality that's very easy to have as a golfer. Like it's just happening to me out there.
But you got to realize in events like this that you might make a couple bogeys. Your ball hits a bump on the green, doesn't go in. It's happening all around us. Yeah.
Q. Do you have a, what kind of history do you have here at Pebble? Are you a regular?
JUSTIN ROSE: I'm not a regular here. I played a little bit. I played with Justin Timberlake a couple times. I played with James last year from Morgan Stanley. We backed it up this year and had a great time.
U.S. Open, I was actually leading, played in the final group with Gary Woodland here in 2019. So good vibes.
Q. I was thinking more on the AT&T side. It's not for everybody.
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, but I think -- I've actually, historically throughout my career, always played relatively well in the amateur events. I feel like it keeps me a little bit more jovial, light hearted, which I think is always a frame of mind that probably helps bring out my better golf.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports