SCORESHEET
DAY 3
DAY 2
DAY 1
July 4th 2010, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: Justin Rose lost another big lead. This time, he didn't lose the tournament.
Staked to a five-shot lead at the turn, Rose finished with seven straight pars and closed with an even-par 70 to hold on for a one-shot victory in the AT&T National, his second PGA TOUR title in his last three events.
It would have been three straight wins for the 29-year-old Englishman except for his collapse last week at the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Conn. Rose blew a three-shot lead in the final round with a 75, and he was determined not to let that happen again.
Rose had to sweat it on a steamy afternoon at Aronimink.
He had three-putt bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes -- after having gone 274 consecutive holes without one on the PGA TOUR -- and suddenly his lead was down to two. Then came a furious charge from Ryan Moore, who one-putted his last eight greens for a 65 to close within one shot.
Rose was steady down the stretch, however, and calmly rolled in a 30-inch par putt on the last hole for the victory.
"I was a little worried about today based on last Sunday," Rose said. "I just tried to stay within my rhythm. I probably made it closer than it needed to be."
Tiger Woods wasn't close at all. The defending champion shot a 1-over 71, marking the first time in 11 years that he didn't break par over four rounds in a regular PGA TOUR event. He wound up 14 shots behind Rose, the most Woods has finished out of the lead since the 2006 Players Championship.
The consolation prize for Moore, who finished second, was a trip to St. Andrews for the British Open.
Rose earned a spot in the British Open through a special money list, along with Bubba Watson, who did not play this week. Another spot was available for the leading player not already eligible among the top five at the AT&T National. Moore wound up winning that little battle over Jeff Overton, who shot 67 to finish third; and Charlie Wi, who shot 69 to finish fourth.
All of them were chasing Rose and that silver trophy with a Liberty Bell.
It didn't appear to be much of a tournament when Rose hit a fairway metal from 264 yards up the hill on the par-5 ninth, onto the green and to tap-in range for an eagle, giving him a five-shot lead.
But when he walked off the 11th green, his lead already had been trimmed to two.
From 35 feet below a ridge on the 10th, Rose left it 7 feet short and three-putted for bogey. From 45 feet below a ridge on the 11th hole, he overcompensated and hammered his putt some 10 feet by, missing that par putt, too.
Rose collected himself, walking slowly to the tee. He hit every green the rest of the way.
When he won the Memorial a month ago by coming from behind, the U.S. Open exemption deadlines had already passed and Rose failed to qualify for Pebble Beach the next day.
He felt as if he played a U.S. Open this week on an Aronimink course that was firm, fast and demanding.
"This was my U.S. Open the way the course was set up," Rose said.
He finished the AT&T National at 10-under 270 and earned $1.08 million, moving up to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings behind Ernie Els. He also will crack the top 20 in the world ranking, likely going to No. 16.
Woods left Aronimink in good spirits, despite his tie for 46th. It was the first time he finished a regular PGA TOUR event out of the top 40 since he tied for 53rd in The Players Championship five years ago.
Even so, he hardly sounded worried. Woods hit the ball off the tee better than he has all year. He hit his irons decently enough, but his putting was a problem. Woods took 120 putts for the tournament.
"It does feel good to hit the ball as well as I did this week," he said. "I just need to get my putter organized a little better and really work on my putter over there."
It was Rose's fifth time with at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR, and the first time he won from in front. As he heads to the British Open, no one is playing better. Sunday was the seventh time in his last nine rounds that Rose ended atop the leaderboard.
