Justin Rose shoots 61 to tie TPC Southwind record. Why his RV deserves some of the credit
Justin Rose tied the course record with a third-round 61 at TPC Southwind on Saturday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
And he has his RV to thank for it − partially, at least. Two years ago, Rose began traveling from tournament to tournament with his own personal RV in tow. It does not transport him. And he does not sleep in it the way Jordan Spieth and Jason Day do. Instead, Rose had it modified to function as a mobile gym and recovery center, complete with all the accoutrements of many modern-day training facilities − with a top-of-the-line coffee maker thrown in for good measure.
So, when Rose, 43, left TPC Southwind after Friday's second round − when the heat index climbed as high as 110 − his first order of business was paying a visit to the cold tub housed within the RV's confines.
"Oh, bro, yeah, yeah, yeah," Rose told The Commercial Appeal Saturday. “It’s helped me out many, many weeks, for sure. When I’ve felt a little banged up and not 100%, to kind of go in and come out bright and breezy and feeling like a different person.”
But he had to be careful with how he went about it. As hot as it was in Memphis Friday and as drained as Rose was after the second round, he couldn't just get straight into the cold tub.
“I was actually so hot that I had to work up to it,” he said. “I thought that, actually, I might not feel great if I jump straight in. I had to kind of come down. So, kept the shower lukewarm, then cold, then got in. I needed it, though.”
Rose was still the same person he was before Friday's frigid dip. But he was almost an entirely different player than he was during the first round on Thursday in Memphis. That's when the Brit shot a dismal 76, the worst score in the field on Day One. Fast-forward about 48 hours and Rose rattled off a nine-birdie, bogey-free round of 61 that's only been done three times before at TPC Southwind, which has hosted a PGA Tour event annually since 1989.
Rose will enter Sunday's final round at -6 under for the tournament, tied for 23rd.
"It's amazing, isn't it? Very little changed but a lot changed," said Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner, who did not know off the top of his head how many course records he holds.
Rose estimated he's likely never played a round of golf where he was pleased with his performance overall, only for the final score to be such an eyesore.
"I think I hit 11 of 14 fairways, which on this golf course puts you in great position to go ahead and shoot a good number," he said. "(But), yeah, just was like knocking it six feet past, missing putts, four-putted, two three-putts, and then I guess just chased a couple of the wrong pins at the wrong time and just compounded a few errors.
"And it all amounted to 76."
Tom Lewis (2020) is the most recent to fire a 61 here. Jay Delsing was the first to shoot a 61 there, in the fourth round in 1993, when the tournament was known as the Federal Express St. Jude Classic. In 2001, eventual winner Bob Estes' 61 came in the opening round.
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Rose's career-low round is 60, which he last accomplished at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open in Toronto. Saturday's showing, however, is the Brit's career-low in the playoffs by two strokes.
During the round, Rose said he did not know specifically how close he was to the course record. But, on the back nine, he admitted he had his sights set on 59.
"That was really my primary objective," he said. "But yeah, I actually didn't realize 61 was the course record, but great. Nice little bonus for the day."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Justin Rose shoots 61, ties record at Memphis FedEx Cup playoff event
