US Open champ Rose starts with a bang at PGA

US Open winner Justin Rose's first errant drive of the PGA Championship didn't leave him in the deep rough, since it took place in the Oak Hill Country Club parking lot. Rose crunched the front left side of his car into another vehicle just outside the clubhouse at the venue where the year's final major tournament begins Thursday. "It was a minor fender bender," Rose said Wednesday. "I guess accidents are accidents. You can never know exactly why they happen. I look left, I look right, the gap to cross the road, turn left and a car essentially came out of nowhere. "It was one of those situations. Hit the front left and a bit of a dink. Obviously it's embarrassing but at the same time no one was hurt and that's I guess all that matters at the end of the day." It was a bad omen in a week where driving accuracy will be at a premium over the 7,163-yard par-70 layout. But it was a reminder that Rose still has some work to do after enjoying his US Open victory in June at Merion so much that he lost some of the form and discipline that helped him capture his long-sought first major title. After the disappointment of missing the British Open cut last month at Muirfield, the 33-year-old Englishman is hoping to be back on form this week. "At Muirfield, I wasn't ready with my body. I wasn't ready with my game," Rose said. "I came in there a bit deconditioned because I had missed some workouts and done some traveling back home. "I feel like I'm back to normal a little bit. I'm back to being disciplined. I'm back to being really in the present and motivated for the rest of the year." Rose became caught up in requests for appearances, enjoying the "whirlwind" aftermath of a moment he had dreamed about for so long without regard for the toll it might take. "You keep trying to kid yourself that you're always in good shape," Rose said. "But now two months removed fom it, I could see maybe at the Open Championship I wasn't 100 percent ready to play. "I did my best to enjoy being a major champion for the first month or so. The blackslapping you get from everybody is nice but it also in some ways can prevent you from staying fully focused on what's ahead. "Two months from now, the trophy is back at home. I can reflect on it in quieter moments but it's time to move forward." Rose tees off Thursday afternoon alongside British Open winner Phil Mickelson and Masters champion Adam Scott in the annual major champions grouping. "I'm really looking forward to the experience and looking to really turn a fantastic year into an incredible one," Rose said. Rose learned through winning a major that it can become very easy to look too far ahead when playing a major. "You understand more what a long week a major is and what you have to deal with, how much you have to soak up, how much pressure you have to absorb or deflect," Rose said. "In the past I've led tournaments after Thursday or Friday and you allow yourself to get too far ahead. Just having that experience, if I put myself in similar positions I know how to react." Source: AFP