Sawt Falasteen - Rose: reduced green speeds vital as US Open winds howl

The 45-year-old Englishman and 2013 US Open champion said Wednesday on the eve of the opening round that the move was vital to keep conditions playable.

"It's necessary," Rose said. "The way the wind is blowing, the direction of the forecasted wind... with wind gusts up to 40 mph, we wouldn't be playing many major championship venues with winds at 40. You wouldn't be playing Augusta with 40-mph winds. It would be called off.

"This is more of a coastal golf course. I think the chances of high winds are slightly higher, so I think preparing for that is not a bad thing.

"Knowing what's coming, that's definitely the only way to go."

Seventh-ranked Rose played in the 2004 and 2018 US Opens at Shinnecock, where fast greens and brisk winds had many players saying the US Golf Association had "lost the course."

"It does get battered by the elements. The course changes dramatically from morning to afternoon," Rose said. "Some slightly different protocols this week make sense to me.

"With the wind coming as well, it's definitely going to be all you want and a handful tomorrow."

Rose shared third at the Masters in April and 10th last month at the PGA Championship after taking his 13th career PGA Tour title in February at Torrey Pines.

"Feeling pretty decent about things," Rose said. "Seeing a lot of good signs in my game, a lot of good range sessions."

Rose is looking for a strong start when he begins at 2:09 p.m. (1809 GMT) off the 10th tee Thursday alongside Spain's Jon Rahm and American Jordan Spieth.

"The goal is to kind of get out, get on the front foot, play well, and if you do that, then I have every sort of belief in my game that I can contend," Rose said.

"If I go out and I play well, I'm going to put myself in a spot where I know I can compete this week.

"The overall test of the US Open is about patience. Sometimes that's a lesson you keep having to learn and it's a hard lesson to learn. But that's ultimately what it takes to win a US Open."

- UK major win streak -

Rose would like to extend a run of major wins this year by United Kingdom golfers with second-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland defending his Masters title and England's Aaron Rai winning last month's PGA Championship.

"That would be a great way to make history for three in a row from the UK," Rose said. "We would love to keep that record going.

"But I don't think it necessarily suits a British player any more than it does the Americans. They seem to come over and play great golf in the Open Championship every single year.

"I don't really see that being an advantage per se, but I like that you should never go against a run, and three in a row would be good."

Having multiple major wins would look good for Rose as well.

"When you've been world number one, won an Olympic gold medal and won the FedEx Cup and you've been number one in Europe, I feel like it's less important based on my other résumé," Rose said.

"Pushing myself to find that final level again to win another one would be a lot of self-satisfaction. I don't think it necessarily massively changes my standing in the game."

C.AbuSway--SF-PST