Rose will have some familiar assistance

HONG KONG - Justin Rose and his wife have devised a novel way of celebrating their wedding anniversary - she will caddy for him at the upcoming Indonesian Masters.

Speaking after his final round at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, where he finished tied for 10th, Rose said: "I enjoy playing in Asia. Going to have the missus caddy for me.

"It's over our wedding anniversary, so it's going to be a whole different type of challenge.

"Finish with a flourish and all that," he joked.

When asked if his wife - former British gymnast Kate Phillips - was a strong reader of golf greens, he added: "She knows as much about golf as my little eight-year-old. We'll make it fun."

England's world No 6 announced last week he would play in the Dec 14-17 Jakarta tournament, which is the finale of the Asian Tour.

"There's going to be a lot of guys grinding to have a good week and it's an important week for a lot of guys," said Rose.

"For me, it's a nice week to continue to play right before Christmas, but more of a fun trip for us than anything else."

The Indonesia event - which will be the first time Rose's wife has carried the bag for him - wraps up a busy schedule for the Olympic champion, who shot a solid but unspectacular 273 on the par-70 Hong Kong Golf Club course.

Over the past month he has won tournaments in China and Turkey, before being edged by Tommy Fleetwood for the European Tour title in Dubai last week.

On Thursday he plays in the exclusive invitational Hero World Challenge, which takes place close to his home in the Bahamas, and features the hotly anticipated return of Tiger Woods.

"I'm playing in the Bahamas next week, which is at home, so it feels like a bit of a week off," he said.

"I try not to think about time off right now because I think once you mentally get there, it's hard to get up for a tournament round.

"So, I'm just trying to go day-to-day at the moment."

The Bahamas tournament will be Woods' first since February, when he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic before undergoing back surgery for the fourth time.

Agence France - presse

(China Daily 11/29/2017 page23)