GOLF ace Justin Rose is confident he is primed to make amends for a winless 2003 after a productive pre-season in his native South Africa.

The 23-year-old north Hampshire star is determined to re-establish the winning habit he enjoyed four times across the globe in 2002.

Rose teed up yesterday at the Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg, seeking to re-capture the first of those victories - the dunhill championship.

And he believes his last few months' mixture of relaxation and level of practice - plus a solid finish in his opening event of the season - ensures he is in position to achieve that aim.

Rose said: "The one thing I missed out on last year was a win, and I plan to put that right as soon as possible."

He added: "I'd dearly love to win back the dunhill title and I'm looking forward to playing at Houghton. As my first professional victory, and coming in front of so many family and friends, it holds a special place in my heart."

Rose began his 2004 professional campaign last week with a tied 23rd place in the South African Airways Open at the Erinvale Golf Club, near Cape Town.

He shot 73, 72, 68 and 72 for a three-under-par 285 total that left him nine shots behind his good friend and winner Trevor Immelman.

Rose said: "I was hoping for a top-five finish like I got last year and thought I was on my way in my final round when I birdied three of the first four holes.

"I then had loads of birdie chances but couldn't take them, and I made some mistakes on the back nine that dropped me back, which was a shame."

Rose's preparations over the winter have involved a fitness and weights programme. Additionally, he has continued to fine-tune his swing, working on areas he and coach David Leadbetter changed last season when they re-built it. Improvements are still being made.

Rose explained: "I e-mailed my swing to Lead David Leadbetter in Florida a few times and we talked on the phone about what to work on. I am trying to set the club better on my backswing to get a better angle in my wrists.

"Given the distance involved, Lead sent me a video clip of Ernie Els to show me what he meant, so I have a good image in my mind to work on.

"Although it's not firing on all cylinders yet, it feels good so I just have to keep working on it." Rose said he was pleased with the progress he made with his swing - as well as his chipping and putting - at Erinvale.

He added: "I've practised my short game a lot more than I did in the off-season last year, as that was a weak point last season."

Rose spent his previous off-season grieving for the loss of his beloved father Ken, who died of leukaemia in September 2002.

It was an extremely testing time for Rose, who had to resume life as a pro last January when he was still coming to terms with his loss.

Despite the difficulty of learning to adjust to life without the man who was also his coach, mentor and best friend, Rose achieved several top-10 finishes throughout 2003.

One of those came in the dunhill championship when he finished seventh. Rose said he is using the positive memories of his last three showings there - he came second in 2001 and won in 2002 - to spur him on to another success at Houghton.

You can catch up with Justin's progress at the dunhill championship in The Monday Gazette.