PGA Championship 2019: 5 players who could still contend for the title

Justin Rose (-3, solo 9th)

Is it just me, or does Justin Rose always seem to go through the biggest events quietly, and then find a way to be right near the top of the leaderboard when it’s important?

There wasn’t much “quiet” about Rose’s pink floral getup on Friday at Bethpage, nor was there anything quiet about his game. The Englishman and former World No. 1 carded five birdies and two bogeys on his way to a second round mark of 67, good for sole possession of ninth place.

Really, he should have been better, though. He hit a remarkable 17 out of 18 greens in regulation, but still took 32 putts to get around. For a player of his caliber, that’s simply unacceptable in any event, much less a major championship.

That might not inspire a lot of confidence, but here’s the good news: there’s no way I can see Rose putting that poorly twice in a row. He’s hit 18 of 28 fairways (tied for 37th) and he’s 19th in average driving distance. He knew what he needed to do to contend for championships like this, and he’s prepared well.

"“I’m not stressing out over it right now,” Rose said. “Brooks, he made a little run there today on the back nine to stretch it out again. When [he] was at 9-under, I was very comfortable with my position. Twelve-under, I’m not so comfortable. I don’t like that so much, him being so far out in front. “You know, all we can do is just go out and try to play two good rounds of golf and see what happens.”"

Rose isn’t battling his game at all right now, and that’s a good sign for the weekend. No matter what happens with Koepka, Rose could still make some noise as a top contender.