“Smoke and mirrors” - Justin Rose remains in contention at PGA Championship 2023 despite inconsistent form
Despite his dismal play, Justin Rose remains in contention at the 2023 PGA Championship. After two unusual rounds, he made the cut and finished in the top 10 of the big tournament's second round.
Despite being four strokes behind leaders Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler, and Corey Conners, Rose feels confident of winning the tournament. He commented on his second-round performance at the 2023 PGA Championship, saying:
"Smoke and mirrors, I guess. A few fair lies in the rough, to be honest. Advancing the ball up and around the green and good short game, stayed with it. When I did catch a bad lie in the rough, took my medicine and pitched out and tried to avoid the big number."
Justin Rose began the game with a birdie on the first hole of the first round, followed by another on the third hole. He had seven birdies on Thursday and three on Friday.
He went on to discuss his score with the media following the second round and said:
"I felt like making a bogey or two around here is no big deal. The fact that I made 10 birdies [in 36 holes] is remarkable considering how I’ve put the ball in play off the tee. [My] iron play I felt was pretty good, and obviously I have made some really nice mid-range putts."
Rose went on to explain that he had won on much more difficult golf courses than Oak Hills. In 2013, he won the US Open, his first major championship, at Merion. He continued, saying:
"Historically I’ve won typically on harder golf courses than not, so I think it fits my profile from that point of view. This is right up there [in difficulty]. This feels a little bit of a hybrid kind of PGA-U.S. Open this week. I’m looking forward to the test."
Rose's best finish at the PGA Championship was recorded in 2012 when he was placed third.
Can Justin Rose win the 2023 PGA Championship?
According to CBS, Justin Rose's odds for the 2023 PGA Championship weekend are about +4500. He has a strong probability of finishing in the top 10 in the competition.
Rose had an uneven round on Thursday, carding seven birdies, four bogeys, and a double bogey. On Friday, he had three birdies and three bogeys for a total of 70.
Rose finished in a two-way tie with Taylor Pendrith at eighth place and will begin the third round on Saturday, May 20, with a one-point deficit.
He still has a solid chance of winning his second major if he hits some huge shots in the third round. Experts, on the other hand, believe Scottie Scheffler is in a good position to win the tournament this year.
Here are the 2023 PGA Championship odds picks for the final two rounds:
- Scottie Scheffler +130
- Viktor Hovland +400
- Corey Conners +650
- Brooks Koepka +800
- Bryson DeChambeau +1400
- Rory McIlroy +2200
- Justin Suh +4500
- Justin Rose +4500
- Patrick Cantlay +4500
- Dustin Johnson +6000
- Collin Morikawa +7500
- Shane Lowry +8000
- Keegan Bradley +10000
- Callum Tarren +10000
- Jon Rahm +15000
- Taylor Pendrith +15000
- Min Woo Lee +15000
- Keith Mitchell +17500
- Adam Svensson +22500