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Justin Rose starts hot at the Dell Technologies Championship

By Cameron Salce

NORTON, MA - AUGUST 31: Justin Rose of England plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston on August 31, 2018 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
NORTON, MA - AUGUST 31: Justin Rose of England plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston on August 31, 2018 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /
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Justin Rose opened the second tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs with an impressive 6 under 65. That round was the best of anyone else in the field and he now leads the tournament by one stroke.

Justin Rose is finally back in familiar territory: on top of the leaderboard at a big-time event. This time, he leads the Dell Technologies Championship by one, after opening with a flawless first-round 65.

This blistering opening round is somewhat of a surprise, as the Englishman looks to bounce back from a missed cut at The Northern Trust. He had no bogeys all day, and birdied four holes on the back nine including one on the final hole.

Rose admitted that is what set him apart from the pack, saying “just keeping the card clean made the birdies count for something. To birdie three of the last four made a good day a very good day.”

Despite missing the cut in the first FedEx Cup event, Rose is still in sixth place in the points standings for the playoffs. He has also played well the rest of this season, he won the Fort Worth Invitational and had 7 other top ten finishes throughout the season.

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He should be considered a real threat to win this tournament. If he does, he could become the outright points leader, depending on what Bryson DeChambeau does. Rose is 1,626 points behind the Northern Trust winner, but the 2,000-point winner’s bonus could put him right back on top.

Other notable performances from the first round of the tournament came from Russell Knox and Abraham Ancer, who are only one shot off the lead after shooting 66. Both those players are relatively low ranked and will have to prove their first round was no fluke as the tournament progresses.

The world’s No. 1 golfer, Dustin Johnson also had a performance worth mentioning by firing off a 68 that included six birdies.

On the other hand, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both had disappointing performances, finishing with matching rounds of one-over 72, currently tied for 57th.

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The favorite to win this tournament definitely has to be Rose moving forward, because he had been playing some of the best golf of his career prior to missing the cut at the Northern Trust last week.

That was Justin Rose’s first missed cut since last year’s U.S. Open, showing how consistent he has been all season long. With Rose motivated to make up for his performance in the first playoff event, it would be no surprise to see him hold on to be the Dell Technologies Champ.

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