Round 1: the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance

It’s difficult to be a competitor and not focus on the bottom line. Results, after all, don’t lie. They tell you whether you’re good at what you do … or not so good.

But in the peaks-and-valleys world of the PGA TOUR, golfers must maintain a balanced perspective on week-to-week performances. Justin Rose, as he nears the age of 30, finally has started to understand that.

Last week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the result was not so good for Rose. Yes, he made the cut, but he wasn’t exactly in contention, finishing tied for 71st.

Instead of stewing about his near-bottom finish as he might have done in previous years, Rose actually left Fort Worth feeling good about his game. “A rare state of mind for me,” he said.

And after posting a 7-under 65 to take the early lead in Thursday’s first round of the the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley, Rose is certainly feeling even better.

“I often tend to be into results too much,” Rose said after his round. “Last week for the first time in a while, I feel like I’m not just trying to get results week to week. I feel like I’m trying to get better and getter as I go forward.

“Today was probably possible because of how I reacted to last week.”

That 65 — Rose’s career low in 19 rounds at Muirfield Village — was also possible because he missed just three fairways and three greens in regulation. And it was also possible because he drained 17 of 19 putts inside 20 feet.

“I putted scary good,” Rose said, making sure to mention that he was using a new TaylorMade Corza Ghost putter.

Rose put the putter in his bag for the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship and finished tied for 10th at Wentworth. But he took it out of the bag at Colonial.

Obviously, the move didn’t pan out. Rose acknowledged Thursday that he was “getting a little greedy …. trying to do something different” and that it wasn’t the smartest play he could have made with his equipment.

“That’s a good example, you know, trust what you got,” Rose said. “That’s kind of what I’m trying to say right now. It’s time for me to trust what I got, not try to change too much, and just think better.

“It’s all about confidence, really.”

Confidence … and experience. Rose has four wins on the European Tour but none in 161 starts on the PGA TOUR. Having pushed for so long to break through in the States, Rose is now taking a different tact.

Sure, he’ll keep pushing to win, and Muirfield Village seems like a likely place, as he has two top-10 finishes in his first five starts here. But either way, he’ll manage the results better. He’ll put things in perspective. Thursday’s 65 is great, but he can’t let himself get overconfident for the rest of the week.

“It’s something I’ve known for a long time,” Rose said. “I think intuitively, you know that the way you should play. It’s just sometimes having the discipline to do it.

“But I think I’m at a point, maybe pushing 30, maybe maturing a little bit. Who knows? It could be a lot of things. But great family life right now, very happy off the golf course. So maybe I’m just getting to a good place with everything, really.”

He was certainly in a good place — atop the leaderboard — when he finished Thursday’s round.

To replay Rose’s round on Shot Tracker, click here.

ROSE’S ROUND 1 STATISTICS