US TOUR NEWS:JUSTIN ROSE returns to action today at the Travelers Championship looking to nail down a spot at next month's British Open Championship at St Andrews.
Memorial champion Rose is one of six Europeans in the field, also including Pádraig Harrington, at this week’s USPGA Tour stop near Hartford, Connecticut, trying to continue recent dominance from the continent’s best players on American soil.
Rose’s victory at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament in Ohio three weeks ago followed wins for fellow Englishman Ian Poulter at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy at the Quail Hollow Championship. And since that Memorial win, in consecutive weeks, England’s Lee Westwood won in Memphis and McIlroy’s compatriot Graeme McDowell conquered the world’s greats to become US Open champion at Pebble Beach last Sunday.
More important to Rose, however, will be the chance to secure an exemption to the British Open.
He leads a cumulative money list on the PGA Tour that allows the top two non-exempt players from five tournaments including the Travelers and ending after July 4th’s AT and T National entry to the third major of the year.
Having missed out at US Open qualifying and two previous Opens at St Andrews, Rose is determined not to miss out. “I am not 100 per cent in the Open championship yet, but the win at the Memorial tournament gives me a great head start in the order of merit that runs between the Players Championship and the Open, which I am now leading and the top two players non-exempt get in,” Rose blogged on his official website.
“So my mind is now really focused on the Open Championship at St Andrews which is a tournament I desperately want to play.”
The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands will be Rose’s first tournament since his maiden PGA Tour victory at Muirfield Village, where he shot a final-round 66 for a three-shot win over faltering American rookie Rickie Fowler.
Fowler will be at TPC River Highlands having also failed to qualify for Pebble Beach and after two runner-up finishes this season he feels better prepared for a breakthrough victory in his rookie season.
“My early-on runner-up finish was at Phoenix Open and I guess I was a bit uptight in the final round, although I did play well and ended up losing by one,” he said.
“I went to Memorial and was tied for first after the first day and actually led the rest of the tournament up until the final nine holes, probably the most comfortable I’ve felt in any tournament being in contention. So the more I can get in contention is only going to help.”
Travelers
Course:TPC, Connecticut
Length:6,837 yards. Par: 70.
Prizemoney:€4.8 million, (€881,973 for the winner)
Field:156.
Defending champion:Kenny Perry won with a record 22-under-par score from Paul Goydos and David Toms.
Layout:Accuracy is necessary on this short course. The Bentgrass greens are small and difficult with many resembling upturned saucers.
On TV:Sky Sports 3 (8pm).
Weather:Hot and sticky with chance of thunder.
