A Late Bloomer’s Dream
Justin Rose is holding onto the hope that he might still be a late bloomer and can eventually achieve what many consider the pinnacle of a golfer’s career — the career grand slam. His aspirations are fueled by the example set by his Ryder Cup teammate, Rory McIlroy, who has already completed this feat. However, time is not on the side of the 45-year-old Englishman, whose only major victory came in the 2013 US Open at Merion. Despite this, Rose finds himself in a remarkable phase of his career, which could be generously described as the twilight of his professional journey.
Throughout his long career, Rose has consistently performed well in major tournaments, amassing 22 top-10 finishes. He has been a runner-up at the Masters three times, most recently in a play-off against McIlroy last year, and twice finished second at the Open Championship. In the past two years, he has secured second place twice and a joint sixth in eight majors. Additionally, he has claimed victories on the PGA Tour, including one last year and another in February of this year.
Rose’s consistency and composure under pressure have allowed him to thrive in the high-stakes environment of major championship finals. This has given him the confidence to believe he can continue to compete at the highest level.
“Obviously I feel like I come at it from a point where I’ve achieved a lot in the game,” said Rose, whose second successive 69 on Saturday placed him within three strokes of the Masters lead heading into the final round. “I can call myself a major champion, which is nice, but my ultimate goal is to win all four.”
“If I look at where I finished seconds in all the other ones, it’s not unrealistic to think it’s doable. Obviously I’m leaving it late, but that would be the ultimate goal for sure.”
Eight of his top 10 finishes have come at Augusta National, and as demonstrated last year when he surged through the field with a final-round 66 after briefly leading two holes from home, he knows the course intimately.
“It begins to feel comfortable. It’s always special. That, for me, is the magic that I’m comfortable here but never complacent,” he added. “I feel like there’s always something to learn, something to push for. You’ve always got to respect the golf course. I think we’re seeing it this year.”
“You’ve got to be on point with your second shots otherwise you’re not holding the greens. You enjoy the experience here Monday to Wednesday and then I don’t think you enjoy another golf shot for the rest of the week because there’s a high risk and high reward on every shot you hit here.”
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