AUGUSTA, GEORGIA | As Sunday at the Masters dawned, it appeared Justin Rose would be a tournament footnote.
The 36-hole leader after rounds of 65-71 at Augusta National, Rose found himself seven strokes off Rory McIlroy’s 54-hole lead after laying the proverbial egg with a Saturday 75 while paired with Bryson DeChambeau, who surged with a 69 and wound up in the final Sunday pairing with McIlroy.
However, the 44-year-old Englishman emerged from a band of contenders chasing McIlroy in the final round and nearly denied the Northern Irishman the career Grand Slam, losing only when McIlroy topped him with a birdie on No. 18, the first sudden-death playoff hole. Rose made an astounding 10 final-round birdies – including a dramatic 20-footer on the 72nd hole – in a closing 66. He and McIlroy finished regulation at 11-under 277.
Rose’s runner-up finish was his second straight in a major – he was joint second, two strokes behind Xander Schauffele, at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon – and his second playoff loss at the Masters, following his 2017 defeat at the hands of Sergio García. On Sunday evening, Rose acknowledged disappointment but sounded a positive tone about his performance.
“Definitely I’m proud of myself,” he said. “I think I flipped the switch from yesterday. … I was so angry coming off the golf course because I turned 69 into 75 yesterday. I didn’t let that momentum seep into today, and I think that that was, from a professionalism point of view, very, very proud of that switch overnight and into this morning.
“And then, yeah, hitting the right shots at the right time. Today I hit a lot of quality shots under pressure, and I felt like I was getting stronger and stronger and stronger as the round was going on. I felt so good with my game, good with my emotions, and I’m super proud of that. Because you can’t prepare for that. You can’t practice for that. That’s when you learn about yourself, and I’m still learning about myself.
“But at Royal Troon and again here at the Masters, when it gets to the real business end, I feel like I’m really, really calm and ready for it, which is, again, proud of that.
“But disappointing. I think to lose in a playoff for the second time [at the Masters] kind of punctuates both of them and makes you realize just how close you've been.”
“Standing ovation on 18 when I finished, I took a moment, not knowing the result, but just soaking that in. That was obviously a nice moment because it was still what might be, what could be, but you’re still – you know, you’re living the dream.”
Justin Rose
After McIlroy and DeChambeau jousted for the lead early Sunday, Rose climbed into the picture with five birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of his round. He negotiated Amen Corner to near perfection, sinking a long right-to-left breaker for birdie at No. 11, draining a 20-footer for a deuce at the par-3 12th and tapping in for birdie at the par-5 13th after burning the left edge for eagle. The troika vaulted him into solo second, though still four strokes adrift of McIlroy.
After a wayward drive at 14 led to a bogey, Rose got up and down from the right greenside bunker for birdie at 15 before staking an 8-iron to 6 feet at the par-3 16th. Meanwhile, McIlroy was making a mess of No. 13, dumping his third shot into Rae’s Creek. Rose converted his birdie and McIlroy made double bogey, leaving the two tied for the lead at 11-under as the clock approached 6 p.m. And when McIlroy subsequently bogeyed 14, Rose led by himself.
But his advantage was short-lived. On 17, Rose missed the green short and right, pitched to 6 feet and missed his par putt left. After not having looked at a leaderboard all day, he allowed himself a peek on the 18th tee.
“I missed the putt at 17 for par and I said to Fooch [caddie Mark Fulcher], ‘What's going on?’ He said, ‘You’re tied for the lead.’ I said, ‘OK. Let’s birdie 18.’ Because obviously Rory was [playing] behind, and I figured 14 and 15 are good birdie opportunities. I sensed I needed to go ahead and birdie 18.”
Which is exactly what he did. It was a moment that validated the work he has put in to remain competitive into his mid-40s with the game’s younger guns.
“The reason I’m willing to put in that work is for these occasions, these moments,” he said. “Standing ovation on 18 when I finished, I took a moment, not knowing the result, but just soaking that in. That was obviously a nice moment because it was still what might be, what could be, but you’re still – you know, you’re living the dream. Like one day, I won’t be competing this way at this tournament. So you know, for now, the hard work is totally worth it, to get these little moments, they are very special.”
After Rose had posted 11-under, McIlroy regained the lead with birdies at 15 and 17 but fell into the playoff by bogeying 18, where he dumped a 125-yard approach into the right greenside bunker and missed a 4-footer to win.
In the playoff, Rose certainly didn’t roll over. His 157-yard approach flew right over the hole and settled 12 feet above it, only to be outdone by a McIlroy dart that spun back off a slope to within 3 feet of the hole. Rose’s birdie putt missed by an inch on the high side before McIlroy holed out for history.
Despite the loss, Rose recognized the import of McIlroy’s accomplishment, calling it a momentous day for the game.
“Rory is a friend for sure,” Rose said. “When it's all said and done, I said to him, ‘Listen, I was glad I was here on this green to witness you win the career Grand Slam.’ ”
McIlroy was equally complimentary of Rose.
“Justin is a great champion,” he said. “And I remember watching the playoff in ’17 when he went up against Sergio, and that didn’t quite go his way, either. But he’s had a phenomenal record around here, and I feel for him a little bit because he's been so close.”
Among McIlroy’s other pursuers, Patrick Reed finished third at 9-under, thanks in part to a one-hop eagle 2 at No. 17. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion and winner of two of the last three Masters, was never a factor on Sunday but slipped quietly into fourth at 8-under after a closing 69.
Ludvig Åberg, the ascendant 25-year-old Swede who finished second in his maiden Masters last year, was tied for the lead briefly with McIlroy and Rose after a birdie at 15 moved him to 10-under. But an ugly finish – a bogey at 17 and a triple bogey at 18, where he played hockey around the green after his second shot failed to escape a fairway bunker – left him solo seventh at 6-under. DeChambeau, meanwhile, rinsed approaches at 11 and 15 on the way to a closing 75 and a T5 finish.
Mike Cullity