Justin Rose believes he can reclaim the WGC-Cadillac Championship despite battling an ongoing shoulder problem.
The US Open Champion pulled out of last week’s Honda Classic as a precaution, with tendonitis having reduced the Englishman to only two appearances so far in 2014.
Rose slayed the Blue Monster at Doral in 2012 as he won his first World Golf Championships, and was tied for eighth last year as Tiger Woods added to his formidable WGC record.
But past form may count for little this week, with the Florida venue having undergone some major changes in the last 12 months.
“I'd say it's definitely a different Doral,” said Rose. “They have obviously been working hard at it.
“A lot's clearly been done since last year; the golf course is a new golf course.
“There are elements that you recognize, but the shots and the lines and the reads on the greens are all completely new, so yes, I played well here in 2012 but again this is essentially a new golf course.
“The shoulder is definitely getting better. It's just tendonitis, so the tendon just gets angry if you do too much.
“Basically, I've just got to re pattern the shoulder, get everything moving better around it, get the muscles hitting better.
“I wouldn't call it 100 percent but I would call it on the way there and it will be a situation where I'm just going to continue to get stronger and stronger over the coming months.
“I feel very comfortable with where my swing is at and what I'm working on, and it's allowed me the opportunity to work more on my short game, which I'm hoping will be a blessing in disguise.
“I still believe I can go out this week and win the golf tournament. I've seen enough good things happening on the range and enough good things on the putting green. But there's no substitute for competitive sharpness, so that's what I'm lacking right now. We'll just have to wait and see.”
Rose believes his victory here two years ago played a significant role in giving him the confidence to capture a first Major at Merion.
“It kept me on what I said was a trend of winning bigger and bigger tournaments,” he added. “I felt lucky to win a couple of really good, well thought of PGA Tour events and then I went and won a play-off event and then won a World Golf Championships.
“The trend and the progression was getting bigger and bigger and it really only left a Major. So my story to myself was the next one is a Major, working my way up the ladder. I'm glad it turned out that way.”
