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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 16, 2007

Justin Rose

OAKMONT, PENNSYLVANIA

Q. The conditions today, just talk about them. How is the course playing?

JUSTIN ROSE: It was a beautiful day weatherwise, very little wind, nice and warm. Really great day of weather.
The golf course today obviously look at the scores it played very, very difficult. I don't think -- I think you're probably bored of hearing that, we all know how difficult it is, but it shows you how the course held up today with perfect weather conditions.
Obviously we don't believe it's ever going to be taken apart, but certainly today if you could, it would have been done. Tricky pin positions; the ball is reacting well on the greens but a slight bit firmer than Thursday or Friday.

Q. The guys have been saying at 7-over, they've been saying it's Sunday, U.S. Open, I've got my chances, and you're at 5-over, you're in the hunt.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, two guys ahead of me, obviously Aaron is played well today and he's a good front runner, and Tiger is not bad at front-running either.
So at the end of the day, I'm in the fortunate position to go out there and just chase at it. Obviously nothing to lose from that position, and I'll certainly be enjoying my chances tomorrow and hopefully put in a good performance.

Q. You've made a lot of birdies this week, ten birdies in three rounds, a lot more than most of the guys; does that give you some confidence?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I feel there are birdies on this course. Some of the holes aren't particularly long, but if you put your tee shot in the fairway, you have the option to hit an aggressive shot in there. And if you play the perfect shot, you can get close to some of the pins.
But at the same time, if you miss the tee shot, you're looking at bogey. It's a good course; you've got to put it in play from the tee. But I played some putts coming down the stretch this afternoon, and that excites me for tomorrow, because I felt like I haven't been rolling my putter well all week and I was excited about what I felt.

Q. What's your approach when the par 5 isn't necessarily a scorable hole?

JUSTIN ROSE: I call that chain reaction. If you put the ball in play off the tee, you can think about laying up aggressively and think about birdie. But at the same time, if you miss that fairway, those are the guys who are missing that green in regulation that are missing the fairway.

Q. What's the difference between today and the first two rounds?

JUSTIN ROSE: The tee was up 25 yards which was a big help because you can fly the right side and take that bunker out of play. With the tee at the back, you have to hit it up the left half. And if you push it, it kicks down into the left bunker, and from there you can only advance 300 yards and then you've got a shot.

Q. What was the discussion about the rules on 17?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think they just missed what would have been a natural curve around the green, and it was curving and then a straight edge that came out just in front of my ball.
I could see it wasn't green length but I wanted to know whether -- where in fact the fringe should be and where it is, whether I was entitled to my ball.

Q. What experiences have you had that will prepare you for tomorrow's final round?

JUSTIN ROSE: Well, I think basically the last couple tournaments I've played I've been right in the hunt, right down to the wire. Obviously Augusta is the probably the biggest thing I can draw on. I was 1-back playing 17. So, again, right in the hunt, and I was in the position there where I was doing the chasing, and I got on a nice roll. And hopefully I can feed off those good vibes tomorrow.
And last time I played (BMW PGA Championship) I finished birdie, par, birdie to get myself into a playoff; and try and play off those positive thoughts.

Q. Aaron ran into trouble on the last couple of holes, how impressive was it that he was able to get it back on 18 and finish?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, he's very composed. I think obviously we realize everyone is making mistakes, and when it's your turn, which it will be, you can't panic and obviously he didn't panic.
He was looking at bogeying 17, as we both were. We missed the fairway with an iron which is a cardinal sin on that hole, and he had a great putt there. It's a quick green and he hit a wonderful tee shot at the last, and if you get a tee shot to the pin, it's a birdie hole there.

Q. We were talking about how gratifying it would be to see the birth of European champions in the majors; you guys have done so well in the Ryder Cups; Tony (Jacklin) won, and that's the last European to win a major championship; what are your thoughts?

JUSTIN ROSE: My thoughts are it has to happen sooner rather than later. There are so many capable players from Europe it has to be a matter of time. There are a lot more Europeans playing the PGA Tour. With three of the majors in the states, it's a matter of time. It's a question of who it will be.

Q. What's scarier going into the final round the course or the fact that Tiger Woods is right there near the lead?

JUSTIN ROSE: Obviously he did what he had to do today, got himself right into contention and I'm sure he will be pleased with that, but at the same time this golf course is a big enough challenge without factoring anybody else into the equation, you have to go out and break the course down.

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