‘Tormented:’ Justin Rose’s Masters heartbreak left him with 2 competing thoughts

Justin Rose came this close to one of the most improbable Masters wins in history.

Rose started Sunday’s final round at Augusta National eight shots back of Rory McIlroy, but the 44-year-old Englishman went on a back-nine birdie run which, combined with McIlroy’s late stumbles, put him on the doorstep of a dream he has been chasing for his entire career. Rose carded 10 birdies in his final round, including a 20-footer on 18, which wound up sending him to a sudden-death playoff with McIlroy after the Northern Irishman bogeyed his final hole.

But Rose, who lost the 2017 Masters to Sergio Garcia in a playoff, once again couldn’t get over the line as McIlroy stuffed his approach shot to four feet on the first playoff hole and rolled in the birdie putt to end his major drought and secure the career Grand Slam.

Rose joined Ben Hogan as the only player in history to lose multiple Masters in a playoff. He now has three runner-up finishes at the Masters in 11 years and has finished second in each of the past two majors. Rose is three combined strokes — two at the 2024 Open and one at the 2025 Masters — from entering next month’s PGA Championship looking for a career Grand Slam of his own.

The 2013 U.S. Open champion had a long embrace with McIlroy on the 18th green after the defeat. He spent time trying to process a week that was almost out of a storybook and was left with two competing thoughts.

“Mixed emotions for sure,” Rose said Wednesday ahead of this week’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. “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, but at the same time looking at my phone and just wishing there was a different message there. A lot of heartfelt commiserations and things like that. Clearly, having been in situations like that before and even more this time, I could really sense what it would be like to win it, and felt like I was right there on the edge of winning it.

“Certainly don’t feel down in any way, shape or form just because of the performance I was able to put in and how I was able to feel putting in that performance, but just sort of — don’t know what the right word is, tormented probably, by the thought of what might have been. Obviously, just bouncing back and forth with those two emotions. But certainly, I think no regrets. You can lose a golf tournament and there’s a million things that you think I should have done this differently. There’s not really much I can look back on and go, I should have done that differently on the day. It’s more just like wish it would have added up to a different result than wish I would have done things differently.”

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Rose followed up his 2017 Masters loss with what he deemed the “best golf of his career,” culminating in him reaching No. 1 in the world.

He’s a bit older now, but still confident he can respond to this latest heartbreak in a similar fashion.

Rose battled nagging back injuries and poor form in the early part of this decade. He could have easily made the move to join LIV Golf, but the fire to compete and win on the PGA Tour fueled him to better his body, mind, and game. Rose returned to the winner’s circle at the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He was an integral member of the 2023 European Ryder Cup team. He had a shot to knock off Xander Schauffele at last year’s Open Championship and was perhaps a poor Saturday putting performance at Augusta National away from taking home a green jacket.

At 44, Rose says the fire to chase greatness still burns as bright as ever, but he also understands he’s a lot closer to the sun setting now than he was then.

“Just the belief that I still can have these — special moments in the game is what I’m calling them,” Rose said. “I think little things like holing the putt on the Friday at the Ryder Cup with all the team around me, that’s a moment I’ll remember. That’s a special moment. Even the Open Championship was special, walking down 18, being right in it, holing the putt at Augusta on 18 on Sunday and seeing the crowd stand up. Those are special moments.

“I want it to be accompanied with the requisite trophy, as well. Don’t get me wrong. But the reason I’m playing is to sort of feel those moments that really matter in your career and in your life. I believe that point is the reason I’m working hard enough to do it is because I still have that belief that it’s possible.”

After falling to McIlroy on Sunday, Rose said he had no regrets about what was almost a dream week in sun-splashed Augusta. But after a day to process what almost was, it’s clear that as week fades into memory, he’ll be left with another what-if to ponder.

“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,” Rose said on Sunday after McIlroy bested him in the playoff. “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. But, yeah, it’s disappointing. I think to lose in a playoff for the second time kind of punctuates both of them and makes you realize just how close you’ve been.”

Rose says he’ll keep trudging onward, chasing more moments, hoping another major championship win is among them. He has good reason to feel confident. He just also has another scar that won’t easily heal.