Justin Rose upbeat after solid start at the BMW Masters in Shanghai
Thursday 12 November 2015 13:46, UK
Justin Rose was left buoyed by a strong finish to his opening round at the BMW Masters, as he looks to make a late bid for Race to Dubai victory.
The world No 6, who is one of several players who could topple Rory McIlroy at the top of the Race to Dubai standings with a big performance this week, picked up four shots in the space of five holes on his second nine to post a five-under 67 in Shanghai.
Rose suffered a near-miss in last year's tournament when a final-hole bogey cost him a place in a play-off, but the recent Hong Kong Open champion was pleased to get off to a better start this time around.
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"I actually beat my own expectations and finished five under for the round," Rose said. "I was only one under through 11 and I could see a lot of the other guys were going low today and tried to urge myself to get it to three or four under.
"Last year I started on the back nine and I was four over through four holes. From that point onwards I made a bunch of birdies and put myself in contention to win the tournament. I had a little bit more of a smooth start today, one under through the first four, so we celebrated that.
"I'm very happy with how I played the last seven or eight holes and it was a good day's work in the end."
Rose's 67 was matched by compatriot Paul Casey and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, while Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Matt Fitzpatrick are part of a bunched group a further stroke off the pace.
Further up the leaderboard, Turkish Airlines Open champion Victor Dubuisson, who was ineligible for last week's WGC-HSBC Champions, opened with a bogey-free 65 to put himself in a tie for second alongside Byeong Hun An.
"It's been a long time since I shot a low score to start a tournament," Dubuisson said. "Usually I play so-so the first two rounds and I do well on the weekend where I make some good results.
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"To start with seven under feels great for confidence for the rest of the tournament. It's carrying on what I did in Turkey. I feel so good on the greens.
"When I read the line well I feel like the putt can only go in the hole and you don't have this feeling many times during the year, so it feels great."
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