I assumed Malick had been keeping Rosalind under surveillance when he found out that she was working with SHIELD (sleeping with the enemy, as it were).
I also found Phil's reaction to her death a bit over the top. Ward's been murdering his way across the globe for the better part of a year, but now that he kills Phil's girlfriend, suddenly enough is enough? Now that he killed Price, Phil feels responsible. But he didn't feel responsible for all those other people Ward maimed and killed? The whole thing was contrived, but if it results in Coulson actually being an interesting character, then it's probably worth it.