AUGUSTA, Ga. — How many more chances will Justin Rose have? Can he expect to hold a two-shot lead on the back nine of the Masters again? Can he keep whipping his 45-year-old body into fighting shape? Can his psyche continue to hit reset when he steps onto the grounds of Augusta National?
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Just as Rory McIlroy answered every doubt in last year’s Masters win, Rose could have come to the sweetest peace with a victory on Sunday. Instead, he walked away with more kudos for his skill and grit, but the nagging feeling that he still couldn’t do enough to seize a green jacket.
Holding a two-shot lead after making three straight birdies to finish the front nine, Rose imploded by missing consecutive greens at 11 and 12 to make bogeys. His only birdie on the back came on the 15tth, and he suffered another bogey at 17 in shooting a two-under-par 71 that left him in a four-way tie for third at 10 under, two shots behind McIlroy, the champion.
It was the Englishman’s fifth finish of fifth or better in his 21 Masters starts. (He first lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia in 2017).
McIlroy edged by Rose this time by overcoming his own foibles by making four birdies and just one bogey over his last 12 holes.
“I feel like with a sudden death loss you kind of know you got to the house. You've done everything it took to win. Then it comes down to flick of a coin at times,” Rose said. "Whereas today I felt like, yeah, there was an opportunity to do better, so obviously that is frustrating for sure.”
In the galleries around Rose this week, there was almost a sense that patrons might have preferred to see the 13-time PGA Tour winner achieve redemption at course he dearly loves, rather than McIlroy go back-to-back. When Rose got into the lead on Sunday with a birdie on 8 and moved into a two-shot lead with another birdie at 9, the crowd seemed to be trying to will him to victory.
“They pulled for me all week long. I felt their encouragement and support,” Rose said. “At the end it kind of goes a little flat. It's more of a sympathy than anything. But it was still nonetheless very beautiful. But, yeah, another little stinger.”
Rose was left to think about what happened at Amen Corner, where last year he charged with birdies on all three holes from 11 through 13. This time, he pushed his approach at 11 and couldn’t get up and down. At the 12th, he pulled his tee shot left and then fully chunked his chip, the ball not even getting on the green. He couldn’t birdie 13 either, three-putting the par 5 after what he called a "brave" approach.
“I was by no means kind of free and clear and was nowhere kind of close to having the job done, but I was right in position,” Rose said. “Amen Corner, without really hitting a bad shot, but just not good shot, not committed enough on maybe 11 shot, specifically.”
Rose was bidding to become the second-oldest player behind only Jack Nicklaus to win the Masters. Will he get another chance like this one? He looks at some of the much-older players—Fred Couples is still playing at 66 and Bernhard Langer, 68, retired from Augusta competition last year—=who have done well here.
“The guys get around this golf course,” Rose said. “It does show this course maybe more than anywhere suit maybe personal style or knowledge or whatever it might be.”
Augusta National suits him. The green jacket just hasn’t fit yet.