HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Justin Rose’s drive from Augusta National to Hilton Head Island became a bittersweet journey as his phone buzzed repeatedly with messages of both praise and consolation after his Masters runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy.
The texts kept coming, each one celebrating his remarkable Sunday charge but also acknowledging what might have been. Rose had started the final round seven shots back, posted a brilliant 66, and found himself in a sudden-death playoff before McIlroy hit a spectacular gap wedge to 3 feet for the winning birdie.
“A lot of outpouring from people with a lot of positive comments coming at me, so trying to absorb that, trying to absorb the week,” Rose said Wednesday at the RBC Heritage. “But at the same time, looking at my phone and just wishing there was a different message there.”
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Rose. In 2017, he held a two-shot lead with six holes remaining at Augusta before Sergio Garcia rallied to force a playoff and win on the first extra hole. Rose handled that defeat with characteristic grace, patting Garcia’s cheek and tapping his heart in recognition of what the moment meant for the Spaniard who had played 70 majors before breaking through.
He showed similar class on Sunday, telling McIlroy he was happy to witness such a momentous career Grand Slam achievement.
It still hurts.
“Just sort of… don’t know what the right word is,” he said. “Tormented, probably, by the thought of what might have been.”
Rose now joins Ben Hogan as the only players to lose two Masters playoffs. He’s had at least a share of the lead after 12 rounds at Augusta, fourth all-time behind only Jack Nicklaus (19), Arnold Palmer (18) and Gary Player (12) — legends who’ve combined for 13 green jackets.
He’s also developed an unwanted habit of congratulating Masters champions on the 18th green, having done so three times in the last decade — Jordan Spieth in 2015, Garcia in 2017, and now McIlroy.
After his 2017 playoff loss, Rose said the disappointment lingered about a month. But what followed was remarkable. He won three more times that year, including his second World Golf Championships title. The next year brought a FedEx Cup victory and his first rise to world No. 1.
“If I look back to my best golf, 2017 August through to the end of ’18 is probably the most consistently good golf that I’ve ever played,” Rose said. “Obviously, I was a little bit more in the prime of my career around that time, or you could argue more prime.”
At nearly 45, Rose isn’t ready to concede anything to younger players.
“But I don’t see any reason why that can’t be the same this time around,” he said. “I’m working well. I’m working hard. I’m feeling good about my game. I’ve been saying all year that my game is good. I’ve just got to make sure that I’m playing consistently well enough to give myself those opportunities, because majors come around… only four times a year.”
Rose can’t help but think how close he’s come to pursuing his own career Grand Slam. He was briefly tied for the Sunday lead at Royal Troon last summer before finishing second, and now there’s this Masters playoff loss.
“The last two majors I’ve been right there and been beaten by the top players in the world at the peak of their game,” he said.
What keeps him motivated after 28 years as a pro? It’s those electric moments in the spotlight — the clutch birdie putt on Augusta’s 18th, that crucial 8-foot Ryder Cup halve in 2023, and the standing ovation walking up Royal Troon’s final hole last summer.
“I’m close to kind of some seriously good stuff,” Rose said.
