Justin Rose said the credit for his flying start to the HSBC Championship goes to his coach for his improved swing and the flexible soles of his shoes, which take the pressure off his back.
Rose’s soft-shoe shuffle through the Abu Dhabi morning took him to eight under par at the HSBC Championship, a birdie at the last giving him a round of 69, comfortably the leader in the clubhouse.
Rose plays this week and next before taking a three-week break to fine-tune ahead of the build-up to the Masters. There does not appear to be too much to work on. “I feel like I can take a couple of weeks off and pick it back up. The motor patterns are pretty well learned at this point.
“I’ve changed the way I move through the ball, and these shoes that I wear with the flexibility in the sole really help me. If I wear a really rigid shoe I can’t turn as well on it.”
Among the afternoon starters Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods endured wretched starts to their second rounds.
Woods bogeyed four of the opening five holes and McIlroy added a couple of his own, despite ditching the Nike putter for his old flat stick — a move which may not go down well with his new sponsor after its £77million outlay — to leave both with work to do to remain in the tournament.
McIlroy’s coach Michael Bannon echoed his client, blaming his poor start to the year on the long lay-off that preceded it. He was first on the range after the morning starters had departed. Not early enough, it seems.
