Rose looking to build on Dunhill breakthrough

Justin Rose returns to the scene of one of his biggest career breakthroughs this week ready to take his game to a higher level.

Rose's victory in the Dunhill Championship in his native Johannesburg last year sparked a season which saw him win four tournaments in three continents. The 22-year-old also outscored his playing partner Tiger Woods in the first round of the Open at Muirfield, played his first Major in America and finished fifth in the NEC Invitational.

It meant a rapid climb up the world rankings and for the second consecutive week Rose, at No 37, is the highest-ranked player in the field. "Looking back two years when I finished second to Adam Scott here at Houghton, that was a turning point in my career," said Rose, who finished eighth last week at the South African Airways Open in Cape Town. "Obviously a year ago, my first win gave me the confidence to go to the next level. It's been a happy hunting ground for me."

He defends his title here at Houghton, where he is 40 under par for the last two events with a scoring average of 67. Last week's winner, South Africa's Trevor Immelman, is among those who will provide him with stiff opposition.

* Tiger Woods will defend his title in the Tournament Players Championship (TPC) in Germany in May. Woods, who has won the event three times in the last four years, had been considering playing in the Byron Nelson Classic in the United States but decided to defend his title in Germany instead.