Rose feels in the mood to make a bit of Scottish Open history - first man to retain the title
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Justin Rose feels he is in “a good place” as he attempts to create golfing history by becoming the first player to successfully defend the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open title.
Rose has been paired with American Phil Mickelson and home hero Marc Warren in the first two rounds at Gullane Golf Club, where he will try to replicate the success he enjoyed at Royal Aberdeen 12 months ago.
The Englishman faces some stiff competition as he bids to secure his eighth European Tour title, with 22 players from inside the top 60 of the World Ranking, eight Major Champions, 29 Ryder Cup players and 11 former winners gathered in East Lothian.   

Key quotes

Justin Rose
“I feel like every time I’ve played well this year, I’ve converted it into a top two finish. The US Open was probably the exception to that. I felt like I played well there, but turned a 66 into a 72 each day. But all in all, I feel like I’m going into the summer in a good place, and playing well.
“I drove the ball really well at the US Open. It was a shame it wasn’t a traditional US Open course, because there wasn’t as much value in accurate driving at Chambers Bay. There’s obviously going to be some different elements this week, controlling your irons really well for starters. And making a few putts from 20 to 30 feet is quite important on links courses, because it’s hard to get the ball close to the hole.”

Marc Warren
“I had a good US Open a couple weeks ago. I finished 27th, but felt as if I played really well from tee to green. So there were a lot of positives to take from the week. It’s not too dissimilar from this week, and my record on links golf is pretty good.
“For the Scottish guys, it’s definitely the fifth major. Outside of the majors, it doesn’t get any bigger than this. I’m really looking forward to the tournament, I’m concentrating on this week and trying not to look ahead too much to St. Andrews next week.”

Matt Kuchar
“It’s good to be back. We were here at Muirfield just down the road a couple years ago, and this area is great. I’ve got a lot of good friends round here, and I’m going to visit some for dinner tonight. I enjoy the golf – this area, in particular, has got some fantastic courses, so I’m looking forward to a great week.
“I’m more excited about my game than I have been for quite a while – I feel as if it’s in very good shape. So I’m looking forward to getting going. I played well at the US Open then took two weeks off, which was hard because I knew I was on good form. But I hit it well in practice today, so I’m excited about the week.”


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