Rose on course to end five-year wait

The five-year wait for a European to win a major title again could well end at the Masters this weekend. And Justin Rose still leads the race.

Fri, 09 Apr, 2004 - 22:42

The five-year wait for a European to win a major title again could well end at the Masters this weekend. And Justin Rose still leads the race.

The 23-year-old from Hampshire, two ahead after his opening 67, looked calm and composed today as he added a 71 which, late in the day, maintained his advantage.

But his closest pursuers now included both Germany’s Alex Cejka and twice winner Jose Maria Olazabal, who after a miserable season so far has once more found inspiration at Augusta National.

Champion in 1994 and 1999 – it would be amazing if he kept that five-year cycle going – Olazabal produced a 69 to reach halfway on 140.

Cejka, whose life story contains the remarkable episode of escaping from Communist-run Czechoslovakia with his father when he was nine, had his second successive 70.

With two hours’ play left they shared second place.

Last man out Bernhard Langer, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, was two under with nine to go and Surrey’s Paul Casey is far from out of the hunt either following a 69 for level par.

But Darren Clarke, Colin Montgomerie, Phillip Price and Sandy Lyle were unable to build on their good starts and Padraig Harrington remained in the pack.

Not so Tiger Woods. Resuming at the start of play four over par the talk was of whether the world number one would miss his first halfway cut in a major as a professional.

But, among 28 players unable to finish their first rounds yesterday because of a two-hour thunderstorm delay, he resumed with a birdie on the long 15th and after handing in a 75 followed up with a 69 to be alongside Casey in a tie for 14th place.

Rose, though, remained centre stage and once again got the better of a duel with American Chris DiMarco.

A birdie at the fifth was the early boost Rose was seeking, but then DiMarco came within inches of repeating his hole-in-one of the first day at the next, then birdied the seventh and eighth as well to draw on level terms.

At that point it was actually South Korean KJ Choi who led after a tournament record-equalling front nine of 30. But Choi bogeyed the next three and then the 16th as well for an inward 40 and three under total.

Rose had his first bogey of the day – rain-free thankfully – on the difficult 11th, but responded with a tee shot to within 18 inches of the flag at the famous “Golden Bell” 12th, then saw DiMarco go into Rae’s Creek on the next for a double bogey seven.

The task then was not to ruin his round and he achieved that in fine style, playing a superb bunker recovery at the last to two feet.

Olazabal was full of doom and gloom last week after tumbling off the leaderboard following an opening 65 in the BellSouth Classic.

But that round did show what he was capable of and the 38-year-old from San Sebastian made his move with a 40-foot eagle putt on the 13th and birdies at the next two.

Like Cejka he bogeyed the last, but then said: “It must be something with this place. I don’t feel much different about my game from last week, but I feel in peace with myself here.

“The years are going by and the course has changed a lot. I think you have to be a long hitter to do well now, but knowledge is a great thing. It would be nice to have another European winner.”

Cejka was fourth in the US PGA championship last August and is based on the US Tour now. But being in contention for a major inevitably led to questions about his youth.

“I didn’t understand what was going on, but my father and I went on a trip and after we swam across a river he hugged me.” he explained.

“I think we would have been shot if we had been caught and I am very proud of him.

“I don’t think I would have achieved anything if he had not done that. I had better opportunities in Germany and I feel lucky I got the chance.”

Clarke, who also began with a 70, bogeyed the fifth, double bogeyed the next and bogeyed the ninth to turn in 40 and one over. A double bogey on the 10th followed.

Montgomerie was out in 41 that, after five bogeys in his first seven, was four over as well.

Lyle was another to turn in 40, but did at least birdie the 14th and 16th to finish on two over 146, while Price’s 76 dropped him to three over.

Casey achieved his target for the day with a 69, but it could have been better. He three-putted from less than 20 feet on the last.

This is Casey’s Masters debut, but he came into it with high hopes both of because what other people had told him and what he saw on a pre-tournament visit last month.

“Everybody said that in terms of the majors this would be the one that would suit me most,” said the 26-year-old, whose confidence was further boosted by a 10th place finish on his first appearance in the Players Championship a fortnight ago.

“It’s scary because you then feel you have to perform well, but when I saw it I thought I would play well. I hit it high and go in with shorter irons than some of the other guys.

“I’ve just got to putt well. The last was annoying – unless you hit it in the right place the opportunity is there to do what I did.”

His birdie attempt finished three feet away and he missed.

Arnold Palmer, playing his 50th and final Masters, was 20 over with six to play, but that mattered not a jot to his adoring public.

Jack Nicklaus has hinted this might be his last appearance too and if so his second successive 75 for six over was not the way he hoped to go out.

British amateur champion Gary Wolstenholme’s dream of making the cut was not becoming reality.

He set off again with a triple bogey seven and with four to go was nine over.

US Masters Leaderboard

6 under - Justin Rose (Gbr) (after 36 holes)

4 under – Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) (36)

Alex Cejka (Ger) (36)

3 under – KJ Choi (Kor) (36)

Jay Haas (30)