Justin RoseAnd making it more difficult? Rose has been battling the flu this week. Here’s what he posted on his Twitter account at 10:43 a.m. ET.
“Last 2 nights have been LONG! Tough to sleep with the flu?! Had 12 hrs in bed so def got some rest. get thru day 10secs at a time”
Rose, who is coming off a tie for ninth at the Northern Trust Open, had an extremely tight battle with Zach Johnson in the first round, too. He took a 4-up advantage with a birdie on the ninth hole, but Johnson won four straight starting at No. 11 to even the match.
Rose responded with a birdie at the 15th hole, the drivable par 4, to get an edge he would not relinquish. The match ended when the Englishman parred the 17th hole to go 2 up with one hole remaining.
“I actually enjoyed it in the end – especially after he got right back in the match,” Rose said. “I probably made my best swing of the day just when I needed to, on the 15th. That was probably what decided it in my favour.”
Rose, who is seeded ninth in the Gary Player bracket, knows he’s the underdog in his match with Kaymer. They’ll tee off at 1:58 p.m. ET.
“It’s going to be extremely tough – he’s not No. 2 in the world for nothing,” Rose said. “He’s extremely solid and has hardly any weaknesses in his game, so I’m going to have to play better than I did today to beat him.
“I’m the underdog, but you never know. If I can hole a few putts and get my mojo back, I could give him a run for his money.”
