AT&T National: Justin Rose Gets Second Tour Victory In A Month

There will be no repeat of the Travelers Championship final round anguish for Justin Rose, who was able to hold on for a one-stroke victory at the AT&T National, his second tour win in less than a month. He still had to sweat for it, though.

Entering Sunday with a four-stroke advantage, Rose had stretched his lead to five through the front nine of the final round, but saw the margin slip to only one after no. 15. Second place finisher Ryan Moore couldn’t close the gap on the final three holes, however, giving Rose a tournament victory with 10 under overall, despite an even par finish in the final round.

All of a sudden, Justin Rose’s lead has evaporated from five shots to one. After making eagle on the ninth hole, Rose followed up with two bogeys to negate the effort. He stands at 10-under through 15.

Trailing him by one shot is Ryan Moore, who has only one hole to shoot before heading to the clubhouse. Two shots behind is Charlie Wi, who just completed the 16th hole.

Those looking for schadenfreude fodder may be out of luck today: Justin Rose, who managed to give away the lead during last week’s Travelers Championship, continues to cruise in Round 4. Through the front nine, Rose compensated for two bogeys with two birdies before scoring an eagle on the ninth hole. He’s now 12-under for the tournament.

Trailing in a distant tie for second are Charlie Wi and Jeff Overton at 7-under and also through nine holes.

The 2010 AT&T National concludes on Sunday with Round 4. Throughout the tournament, Justin Rose has been playing nearly mistake-free golf, having suffered only two bogeys in the first two rounds combined. Entering Sunday, he sits atop the leaderboard at 10-under overall and holds a four-stroke lead.

Some, though, may focus on Rose’s recent propensity to surrender leads late in tournaments. Last weekend, he played tournament-leading golf until collapsing in the final nine holes. Regardless, Rose has a number of tournament wins to his name, including a PGA Tour win, and a four-stroke lead will be very difficult for the likes of Carl Pettersson and Charlie Wi.

At the conclusion of the AT&T National Tournament, Justin Rose sits atop the leaderboard at 7-under. Rose is doubtlessly motivated by last weekend’s experience at the Travelers Championship -- the Englishman led through most of the tournament before collapsing in the final nine holes of the tournament.

Tied for second, one shot behind Rose, are Jason Day and Charlie Wi. Day has only one PGA Tour win to his name, and Wi has none.

Tiger Woods is finished for the day at Aronimink Golf Club where he has wrapped up his second round with an even par-70 to stay at 3-over for the tournament. He shot four birdies and four bogeys on the day. 3-over is currently the projected cut. If all remains the same for the rest of the day, Tiger would make the weekend.

Arjun Atwal and Jason Day are currently on-course and tied atop the leaderboard at 5-under for the tournament. Jeff Overton, has finished his round for the day and has followed up his 2-under 68 yesterday with another one today to sit at 4-under for the tournament.

Tiger Woods finished up his first day of play at Aronimink in not-so-smooth fashion, shooting a 4-over par on the back nine after being 1-under at the turn. Tiger bogeyed holes 14 and 15 and double bogeyed 17 before finishing the day with a par on 18. Woods finished the day with a 3-over 73 and will need to have a solid round on Friday to make the cut at his own tournament. He had two birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey in his first round.

The foursome of Arjun Atwal, Joe Ogilvie, Jason Day, and Nick Watney share the lead at 4-under. Six more sit one stroke behind the leaders at 3-under.

Americans Joe Ogilvie and Nick Watney, Indian Arjun Atwal, and Australian Jason Day sit a top the AT&T National leaderboard midway through the first round of play with clubhouse leads of 4-under 66’s on the day.

Tiger Woods, the host of the annual ATT&T National Tournament, shot a 1-under par on the front nine. Sean O’Hair, a member at Aronimink Golf Club, was thought to have the upper hand over the field given his familiarity with the course but, he finished the day with a 1-over 71.

With John Wall and Stephen Strasburg dominating the Washington D.C. and national sports headlines, many locals may not have noticed that this year’s AT&T National has relocated from the nation’s capital to outside of Philadelphia for the next two years. The tournament, which has been held on the Fourth of July weekend at Congressional Country Club every year since its inception in 2007, will be played just outside Philadelphia at Aronimink Golf Club this summer and next as Congressional undergoes renovations to prepare for the 2011 US Open.

Aronimink, a course most players on the PGA Tour are unfamiliar with, has a strong history, having hosted the 1962 PGA Championship -- Gary Player’s second of his nine major championships. The course last hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2003. The only player on the Tour who seems to be overly familiar with it is Sean O’Hair -- a Philadelphia area native and member of Aronimink.