Rose blooms with ten-birdie final round 65

JUSTIN ROSE is to the English golfing media what Tim Henman is to their tennis counterparts.

In truth, both are nice guys no matter how their jingoistic public and television commentators try to change them. Rose has shown the courage of a lion in fighting back from missing out on 21 successive cuts in the early days of his professional career to establish himself among the world's top 50 and a very live candidate for this year's European Ryder Cup team.

He came to Co Kildare this week under a cloud having followed a sparkling 65 in the Open Championship qualifier at Sunningdale with a 73 to miss out one of the 17 places on offer. It meant he was relying on big finishes at either The K Club or at Loch Lomond next week to tee it up at Royal Troon. He still has another week to wait to know if he has achieved his ambition, as even yesterday's course record 65 wasn't enough to remedy his situation. Instead, French Open champion Jean-Francois Remesy and Australian Richard Green go through from a 'mini' Open order of merit, and another Aussie, Peter O'Malley, through tying for 2nd yesterday.