JUSTIN Rose admits he needs to find some winning form quickly if he is to move up the world rankings and gain a coveted place in golf's first Major of the season - the US Masters at the Augusta National.

Rose, from north Hampshire, is desperate to return to the beautiful Georgia course for the third consecutive year - but he is struggling to do so because he's yet to qualify for April's showpiece tournament.

Although he led the chase for the Green Jacket at -6 at the halfway stage 14 months ago, a disastrous third round of 81 (+9) halted his challenge, while a final round 71 (-1) ensured he finished tied 22nd and missed out on the automatic return going to the top 16.

As the 2004 season progressed, Rose's campaign was dogged by similar inconsistency as he jet-setted back and forth from US PGA and European Tour commitments.

Rose (pictured above) has since acknowledged it was a schedule that did him little favours - as he struggled and finished 93rd on Europe's order of merit and 64th in America.

He has since slipped to 77th in the world - a full 27 spots outside the top 50 he needs to number among if he is to get into the Masters via that avenue.

And time is running out if he is to make the field. Between now and the April 6-10 Major, he has just four events to boost his ranking.

Rose said: "I need to do well over the next month because I really want to be at the Masters. Leading the Masters and a Major Championship last year was an amazing experience and I want to return and see if I have learned the lessons from then.

"I still maintain that I didn't play that badly on the Saturday, but it was obviously disappointing and there is some unfinished business I want to remedy this year at Augusta.

"But to do it I know I've got to get back on form quickly, because I am yet to qualify. I'm 77th in the world and that's not good enough as far as I'm concerned. It's frustrating. I'm not the player I want to be.

"That's why I need to do well in my next four events. I need to start putting myself back in contention to win again and, if I can do that, get a win or some top 10 finishes, then I think that I can get back into the world's top 50 and qualify."

Rose started his quest yesterday when he teed up in the Chrysler Classic of Tucson. After that he plays in the Ford Championship (March 3-6), Bay Hill Invitational (March 17-20) and The Player's Championship (March 24-27).

Winning the latter brings with it automatic Masters qualification, but another route open, albeit an unlikely one given he is 112th on the money list, is to be in the US PGA Tour top 10 in the week preceding the prestigious Major.

It's a big ask but Rose is confident he will achieve his goal by one of the three routes - and that America is the best place for him to kick-start his faltering career.

European Tour executive director George O'Grady recently expressed concern that many home-grown players, like Rose, Ian Poulter, Brian Davis and Paul Casey, are increasingly playing in America and not Europe, risking their European Tour status. However, Rose is unapologetic about his decision to relocate across the pond.

He said: "I had a good discussion with various people towards the end of last season - my girlfriend Kate, my brother Brandon, my coach David Leadbetter and others - about concentrating on playing in America.

"We looked at how I'd performed throughout the year and my best displays and results came in the States. There was the Masters, my fourth place in the Memorial at Muirfield Village, seventh in the MCI Heritage and fifth in the Canadian Open.

"I never achieved those sorts of result in Europe, so I'm not sorry I've left it behind and gone to play in the States."

Referring to life Stateside, he added: "Everything is here that I need to give me the platform to push on and become the player I want to be.

"There's less long travelling, my house in Florida is a good base to operate from and my coach is nearer. That's a big factor, as there were many times last season when I was working on things with my swing without David's help. It wasn't good or ideal.

"Videoing my swing and sending it via e-mail is okay up to a point, but it's not the same as having him there to tweak and fine-tune my swing." Rose is scheduled to play just one European Tour event - the PGA Championship at Wentworth in May - meaning he is likely to lose his status as a European Tour member.

A tour professional has to play 11 sanctioned events to maintain his position, although there are a number of exemption categories Rose may well fall into if he has a good season. He is currently a member because of category 7 - players ending the season in the top 116 on the order of merit.