Britain's Justin Rose is about to discover what he is made of on the grandest
stage golf has to offer.
A scintillating opening 67 in the Masters at Augusta sent the 23-year-old into
Friday's play with a two-stroke lead over his closest challengers Chris DiMarco and Jay
Haas - and, incredibly, a nine-stroke advantage over a clearly-troubled Tiger
Woods.
Rose, the youngest professional taking part, has never been in such a position
before. But he does, of course, have the never-to-be-forgotten memory of the
1998 Open at Birkdale.
At the age of 17, Rose produced the greatest performance by an amateur in that
championship for 45 years, pitching in at the last to finish joint fourth and
taking it all in his stride, it seemed.
"The thing I did so well there was that I was blissfully unaware of the level
I was actually playing at," he said on Thursday.
"I think that if you can sort of kid yourself into being in that mindset
again, just letting your natural abilities take over and not tend to worry too
much about 'this is the Masters' or whatever, then you have a good chance."
Having already said he was inspired by the surroundings of the Augusta
National club, home of the tournament since it began in 1934, Rose was asked if
he was more likely to be inspired or intimidated by what lies ahead.
"I am going to have to say inspired," he replied. "That is the mindset you
have got to get into. But hopefully unfazed will probably be the perfect mindset
to be in. That would be ideal."
Rose has only to think back a fortnight to reinforce the thought that nothing
is necessarily beyond him this weekend. His close friend Adam Scott, also 23,
became the youngest-ever winner of golf's richest event, the Players
Championship.
You have to go back to June 2002 and the British Masters at Woburn for Rose's
last victory. His father Ken died of leukaemia three months later and for a long
while after that he understandably struggled to find a spark on the course.
His record this season shows he has still to record a top-20 finish, but he
has felt his game coming round and coach David Leadbetter has confirmed that.
"I have been in America now for eight weeks and we have been working hard.
David's really happy with the way I am swinging it and it was just a matter of
letting it flow, somehow making it happen, which is often the hard part."
A possible piece of the jigsaw was even provided by Leadbetter's wife Kelly,
herself a former tour player.
"The other day I saw her with rollerblades on trying to putt, obviously
working on balance. I think she saw me moving a little bit on my putting, so she
tried to give me a couple of tips.
"I didn't go to rollerblades because I don't think the green staff would be
too happy, but I did practise standing on one leg."
Now Rose, whose professional career began with 21 successive missed cuts
lasting almost 12 months, tries to do what no first-round leader of the Masters
has done since Ben Crenshaw 20 years ago - win.
Seven years ago Woods opened with a front nine 40 and went on to triumph by a
record 12 strokes. He opened with a 40 this time, but nobody is expecting him to
do the same.
The world number one's swing problems were there for all to see in the 14
holes he managed before play, halted for two hours by a thunderstorm, was called
off.
When he and 17 others resume at 8.45am today - 45 minutes after the second
round gets under way - Woods will still searching for his first birdie.
World number three Ernie Els was also among those affected. He had joined
DiMarco and Haas, but in the gathering gloom bogeyed the 17th after finding sand
with his second.
Rose was not the only European to shine. Far from it.
Darren Clarke, leader by three after his initial 66 last year, had a 70 for
joint fourth place and achieved it despite drawing comments from the gallery
about his bright pink and white striped trousers - complete with white
turn-ups.
"Most people liked them," he said.
German Alex Cejka is also two under (with one to play) and Colin Montgomerie
and Phillip Price would have been alongside them but for closing bogey fives.
Montgomerie did not stop to talk after his, but debutant Price was much happier
than he feared he might be after his practice rounds.
"I thought everybody was going to struggle," said the Welsh Ryder Cup hero,
whose first appearance has come at the age of 37.
Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer was another of only 11 players to break par, while 1988 champion Sandy Lyle was in the group on 72.
The Scot would like to go even lower on Friday to prove a point to the
powers-that-be that he deserves more than to be put out with 67-year-old Tommy
Aaron and 66-year-old Charles Coody in the first group two years in a row.
"I thought it was last year's draw, but unfortunately it wasn't. I couldn't
believe it," commented Lyle.
Asked if he wanted to show he was not a ceremonial golfer he replied:
"Exactly. You took the words out of my mouth. I am not ready for this.
"I want to stay competitive. Jack Nicklaus won when he was 46 - I saw it all
because I was playing with him. That's my age and I am looking forward to maybe
doing the same.
"I tried to look on it as a positive. It makes me feel like Tiger Woods for a
couple of days, out-hitting them by 50 yards." Aaron shot 87 and Coody 88.
It used to be leaders out last on the second day, but Lyle had the same two as
partners again.
Padraig Harrington managed only a 74 after another victory in the
eve-of-tournament par three event - no winner of that has gone on to Masters
glory - while Ian Poulter, also in pink, and Paul Casey were one further back,
Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam alongside Woods on four over, Paul Lawrie and British
amateur champion Gary Wolstenholme five over and Brian Davis nine over after a
mere 13 holes.
There will be tears later on Friday when Arnold Palmer, who shot 84, finishes his 50th
and last Masters and there were tears on Thursday from Tom Watson, who heard on
the way to the course that his long-time caddie Bruce Edwards had died from Lou
Gehrig's Disease.
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