Justin Rose on the 10th hole at Augusta National Golf Club en route to walking off the final hole during the final round of the 89th Masters. He was six shots behind the leader, Rory McIlroy. While the chasm was intimidating, Rose did not relent. Luckily for us, he expertly battled to keep the distance all day long.
The tournament came to life when Rose found his rhythm. He TOUR our hearts even more by making three straight birdies on 15-16-17! These picture perfect strokes helped him make up strokes in droves as he closed the gap between himself and the top of the leaderboard. Rose capped his remarkable return to glory in style with a final 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. He finished his round at 11 under par, taking the clubhouse lead for the time being.
Justin Rose’s career in major championships is a litany of close calls. His second-place finishes at five—nearly every seventh start on average—of his 81 career starts definitively tell this story. He is coming off a tie for second place at the 2024 Open Championship held at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. He went on to miss the victory by two strokes, finishing behind Xander Schauffele. His history of close calls includes a memorable moment in the 2017 Masters when he missed a critical 7-footer for birdie on the 18th hole, forcing a playoff against Sergio Garcia.
Reflecting on his performance this past Sunday, Rose acknowledged the pressure of competing against top players like McIlroy, with whom he has shared a Ryder Cup team. He added, “I mean, I just sort of walked into the place that you fantasize about walking into. I felt so good with my game. Felt so good with my mind. After that flurry of activity, I started to feel like I was playing my way back into the tournament. I was laser focused out there.”
Though disappointed not to be leaving with a W, Rose left happy with the way he played. He noted that he was “a bogey away from being the greatest round I’ve ever played.” Perhaps the best example of his precision was his approach shot on the 17th hole. His best-judged shot of the day from 187 yards nearly went into the hole, coming to rest 15 feet past the hole.
As he approached the final holes of the tournament, Rose was acutely aware of the scoreboard but maintained focus on his game. He reflected on his experience, stating, “Something happened, for sure, around the middle of round.” This change in trajectory carried him into first place, enabling him to contend for the win in extremely competitive conditions.
In a sudden death playoff against McIlroy, Rose would be introduced to the cruel reality of tournament golf. “Unfortunately, the playoff, they always end so quickly,” he said. He recognized that sudden death leaves little room for error: “If you’re not the guy to hit the great shot or hole the great putt, it’s over. That’s the game with sudden death, but not quite something more I could have done today in general.
After McIlroy celebrated his victory and career Grand Slam at Augusta National, Rose took a moment to pay tribute. He was nonetheless gracious at the honorable triumph of his compatriot. He conveyed his respect, saying, “I said to him, ‘Listen, I was glad I was here on this green to witness you win the career Grand Slam.’”
Overall, Rose’s solid play over the week is a testament to his toughness and talent as a player. In doing so, he showed how sweet victories may be, but we are often defined by the heartbreaks that punctuate a player’s career. “There’s no point in being too despondent about it,” he expressed. You look at all the good stuff that landed me in this pickle. You can’t just glide through a whole career with no heartache!
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