Justin Rose paid compliment to former European Tour professional Mark Roe after claiming his third PGA Tour title at the BMW Championship in Illinois. Rose started the concluding round with a four-shot lead but had to bear some nervous moments before binding out John Senden by two strokes.
The 31-year-old was fortunate to escape with a six on the par-five 15th after a wayward tee-shot which flew into the trees. But after a poor approach to the 17th and with his lead down to one, Rose chipped in for birdie to efficiently seal the win. And he admit that Roe deserve some of the credit after transitory on his short-game knowledge since April this year.
I think for some reason I got in my opinion in a bit of a mess with my short game, I was way too open to the shot, squared up my shoulders and just....yeah, it's been a lot better for sure.And I think I prove it down the stretch today. I miss a couple of greens and I knotted pretty nicely when I had to.
Rose, who climbed to third in the FedEx Cup play-off standings ahead of next week's Tour Championship, added:I nearly took the chicken stick out on the 17th and putted it, but I said to myself it was a makeable chip so I had to commit.Senden was the model of constancy with birdies on the ninth and 10th his only deviation from par. The Australian ended a shot ahead of countryman Geoff Ogilvy, who carded a closing 69.
World number one Luke Donald ended another imposing week by final fourth courtesy of a closing 68 which limited three birdies on the back nine.