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Rose heaps major praise on Aronimink

Justin Rose says Aronimink isn't the kind of layout you can "bully." He should know. He's the defending champion of the AT & T National, which begins Thursday in Newtown Square. A year ago the Englishman, who turns 31 at the end of July, had just won his first PGA Tour title a month earlier at the Memorial. Then he came here and shot 10-under-par 270 at Aronimink to win by one over hard-charging Ryan Moore (final-round 65).

Justin Rose shot 10-under-par 270 at Aronimink to win last year's AT&T National. (Mark Duncan/AP file photo)
Justin Rose shot 10-under-par 270 at Aronimink to win last year's AT&T National. (Mark Duncan/AP file photo)Read more

Justin Rose says Aronimink isn't the kind of layout you can "bully."

He should know. He's the defending champion of the AT & T National, which begins Thursday in Newtown Square. A year ago the Englishman, who turns 31 at the end of July, had just won his first PGA Tour title a month earlier at the Memorial. Then he came here and shot 10-under-par 270 at Aronimink to win by one over hard-charging Ryan Moore (final-round 65).

"It's a golf course you can't chase scores on," Rose said on a recent teleconference. "It's about keeping the ball [in the proper spots] and really taking your chances when they come. Obviously, if you're playing well you start getting some more looks at it and you can start to take advantage. But if you start trying to find those birdies, then you start making bogeys.

"So for me it was a test of patience more than any other, really, I felt last year. And yeah, the putter was hot. I feel like there doesn't seem to be a stretch of the course that is easy or difficult. The easy holes are sort of dotted in evenly throughout the round. At least that's the way I'm visualizing it right now."

So, are there any holes where he was just happy to walk off with a par?

"Yeah, most of the par 4s, to be honest," Rose noted. "It's about driving [the ball] well. If you're hitting only 50 percent of your fairways, you're going to be scrambling for par most of the day. The fairways were somewhat firm last year. The course didn't play overly long, but you needed to put it in play. Then the whole course opens up . . .

"You really had to strategize your way around," he went on. "It was the kind of golf course you had to respect. When you're feeling good with your game and you're thinking correctly, those are the kind of courses that really suit you. If you're somewhat off, you're really behind the eight ball."

Sounds like a U.S. Open. Well, except for the one they just held. Rose missed the cut at Congressional, after tying for 11th at the season's first major, the Masters, in April. Speaking of which, he thinks Aronimink could host a grand-slam event. It's no secret that's what the membership wants. But the Open, which will return to nearby Merion in 2013, is booked through 2019. And the PGA Championship, which is probably the more realistic target, is booked through 2018. Some have even speculated about a potential Ryder Cup. That's spoken for through 2020.

Anyway . . .

"Any time as a player you get to come to a classic golf course like Aronimink is just a treat," Rose insisted. "So I'll be all for seeing a big championship go there, for sure. [That] would be fantastic.

"It seems like a great city. We had a great turnout. For me the atmosphere out on the golf course was really fun to be a part of and fun to play in front of. I think that's a big part of hosting a big event. Not only do you need the golf course, which I think would fit perfectly, but you need the city to be able to support it. I think it does have that."

Rose is currently 31st in the world rankings. In 14 PGA Tour starts he has three top 10s, with his best finish being a tie for third in late March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His putter has been the component that's been holding him back. It happens.

Did we mention that he's third on the Tour in greens in regulation?

"I think there are two things that you need to keep the pilot light lit," he said. "One's confidence and two is motivation. They both sound terribly obvious. But in the real world of playing professional golf 30 times a year, getting the balance correct is the challenge. And certainly it's an interesting thing. So many facets of the game go into playing well. Sometimes for me the one that really keeps me playing ordinary can be the putting. And that's what's sort of been the missing link right now.

"I'm a streaky putter. When I get hot with it, I get very hot. I just need that little spark or something to get me going.

"The game seems easy when the putts are dropping, you know what I mean? And that's where the confidence really starts to build. But I've had a lot of positives this year as well."

Being the defending champ carries its own set of conflicting issues, too.

"You have the potential downside of the pressure of expectation," said Rose, who missed the cut at this year's Memorial. "But I think more than that you have the excitement and the energy that you can really gain from good memories.

"Very rarely does a player go back-to-back. It's something you know in the back of your mind you'd love to do, but you know to get the job done you have to stick to a process. And that process doesn't change . . . whatever tournament it might be. The best way to get the job done is to stay in the moment. But that will be very much my approach to it.

"It's nice to sort of relive the memories again. When you turn up to the tournament, typically there's one or two more pictures of you around the place. It's nice to be able to relive what was a great experience."

And there's only one bloke coming in here who can say that.

Tap-ins

Fredrik Jacobson, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Travelers Championship on Sunday, has withdrawn from the AT & T. The first alternate is George McNeill . . . Ernie Els, Ben Crane and Heath Slocum also have withdrawn. Taking their place are Kent Jones, David Mathis and Steve Flesch. *