WELL-PLACED: Justin Rose.

FAMILIARITY, it seems, breeds content for Hampshire's young golfer Justin Rose.

The wide and watery expanse of the Oxfordshire golf course where he made his one and only European tour cut a year ago, looked like an old friend to the troubled teenager yesterday.

Rose gave himself a fighting chance of making his first half-way cut since turning professional last July with a neat and tidy level par round of 72 on the first day of the Benson & Hedges Open.

It may have been seven shots off the pace set by joint leaders Philip Price and Miguel Jimenez, but to Rose it felt like one of the best rounds he has played since his captivating performance as an amateur in the British Open at Royal Birkdale.

"It's the first European Tour event I have played twice," said Rose, "And it was a case of being there before and having the T-shirt. I felt comfortable out on the course.

"My game took a turn for the better in the French Open last week. The driver, which used to be my worst enemy, is now the best friend I've got in my golf bag. The trust I have in my game is starting to come back - I just need a few putts to drop."

He made 16 greens in regulation but took 35 putts and that, he grumbled, "is below average". His only two bogeys were as a result of three putting at the 13th and 18th green during is outward half.

When he turned for home and the rain was at its worst, Rose barely faltered. He drove into a fairway bunker down the sixth, but achieved a courageous up and down to save par. His inward half con-tained a single birdie at the 498-yard par five seventh, and no drops - reassuring for the young man as he bids today to end a run on 18 missed cuts - a sorry statistic which hangs like an albatross around his neck.

Salisbury Gary Emerson was riding high on the leader-board after a four under par 68, his best effort on home soil since he led going into the last day of the English Open two years ago.

A springboard for Emerson's successful day was an eagle at the seventh, topped-off with four birdies. It left him joint fourth in illustrious company which included Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer.

Another Salisbury golfer Andy Beal pushed himself to four under after 11 holes. But at those dizzy heights suffered a temporary nose bleed and the next two holes cost him three shots before his sixth birdie of the day left him at a very respectable two under par.

Gary Stubbington, playing the event for the second year running as the top ranking Southern PGA player was trailing at the back of the field at seven over par. He bogeyed the first, birdied the fourth and seemed to have everything under control until he double bogeyed at nine.

A disastrous triple bogey at the short 13th left him with an impossible task of making today's half-way cut.

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