Justin Rose has admitted that he has only been hitting golf balls for just over a week ahead of his return to action at the Northern Trust Open.

The US Open champion has been on the sidelines for two months due to a shoulder injury and he concedes that he was forced to race back to be prepared for the Major championships later in the year.

"If I'm honest, I've only really been hitting balls [with my] driver for about a week or 10 days now. So it really has been down to the wire," Rose told Sky Sports News. "It was a race against time to really get back playing and get back strong.

"My immediate focus is just continuing to improve as a golfer and really have the discipline every week to go out and execute my skill set, which I believe is growing and getting stronger every week.

"That's how I'm going to play my best golf. That's how I'm going to contend in majors. Certainly I want to be 100% come April."

The Northern Trust Open gets underway at the Riviera Country Club on Thursday.