Justin Rose left the field of Augusta National last year with a case of deja vu.
For the second time in eight years, no one had beaten Rose over 72 holes Master. And, for the second time in eight years, the then 44-year-old left golf’s hallowed grounds as a lucky loser. Rose’s final-round 66 ended with what he thought was his Masters moment, a 20-foot curling birdie putt on the 18th green that sent Augusta National into a frenzy and eventually sent him into a playoff with Rory McIlroy.
But after McIlroy birdied him on the first playoff hole to overcome his Masters demons, Rose left Augusta National disappointed that once again fate had not called his name. But another narrow miss and third career runner-up at the Masters didn’t leave Rose sullen.
“I’ll never think why me?” Rose said Monday before the 2026 Masters. “I’m going to be like I could have done this better or done this differently, but not watching the golf gods give it to me. ‘Why me?’ lived like I had earned it, but obviously without any real positive emotion to go with it, but somehow I felt everything.
“It is what it is. I left Sunday feeling like I gave it my all.”
Augusta National is a haven for Masters winners. Once you put on the green jacket, every corner of the property is filled with a memory, a sense of a time when you rose above the world of golf. That moment lives on forever, even when your gray hair and talent fades.
But for others, Augusta National has only struggles and questions. It is a country that has stunned some greats and broken others. For Rose, you would expect the scar tissue to be overwhelming. Take a look at the big trophy in Augusta National’s clubhouse and you’ll see his name three times – all as runner-up. He and Ben Hogan are the only two players to lose multiple Masters in one playoff. Rose has led or co-led the Masters nine times after Rounds 1, 2 and 3 in his career, which ranks third all-time behind Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. They have 10 jackets combined. Hogan won twice. Over the last 10 Masters, Justin Rose is 18 under par. She is ranked seventh behind Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama. Only Rose and Schauffele have not won the Masters.
Rose is still waiting. Not to solve Augusta National, he has done that. It’s a course that suits his eye and a course he knows how to navigate. He is waiting for his time at the Masters to finally be right. He’s part of Masters history, just not the kind he dreamed up for himself. But the “what ifs” and “could have beens” haven’t changed how Rose feels about the country.
“I think for me, I’m very aware that I’ve been close here,” Rose said. “I’m very aware that I’ve had tough losses here. I’m also aware that I like this place. So I don’t want to feel that those three second places should create a different feeling for me. I can’t control the result.
“I can be philosophical about it, I guess. Of course, I look at it and I think they’re rallying, rallying. I think eight players have won this tournament after finishing second a year ago, which probably increases my chances if you look at the field. I can look at it and go, well, that’s good. Happy with that.”
Rose arrives at his 21st Masters with far less track ahead of him than roads behind him. He is now 45 years old and while ranked 7th in the world, he knows that time keeps moving. He likes the work, the fight, and that’s why he’s still on top of his game. He’s also there because of a relentless tenacity and an ability to absorb and wash away the frustration that comes naturally when you live and play to write your name alongside the greats of the game.
He missed 21 cuts to start his professional career. He will fully admit that he didn’t look for knowledge where he should have when he was starting out. He made mistakes and eventually learned from them and built on the hard lessons the game made him learn. He always knew that following his dreams would cause pain. Pain must be part of the journey. You have to be willing to fail to win big championships. When you fail, all you can do is dust yourself off and try again, believing that you can still reach your ultimate goal—that it lies on the horizon just within your reach.
“I kind of figured it out before I even got a degree,” Rose said of disaster management. “I knew I was going to win some. I knew I was going to lose some. I wanted to not let it get in my way too early, and I kind of realized when I get a chance to earn a degree, don’t make it too big a deal right now. I realized you can’t go through a career without a little bit of pain and heartbreak, you’re not going to have any chance of winning from them. You’re also on the wrong side of it.”
Over the years, we’ve seen countless players obsessed with winning this golf tournament IN this place. He ruled over McIlroy until his 4-foot putt fell last year to beat Rose. It left Ernie Els with regrets and left Lee Trevino searching for answers. It would be understandable if Rose, who feels he should have already won here, would be obsessed with winning here – if everything was lined up to make sure his true Masters moment finally arrived.
But this is not him. it wants to win the Masters, of course. But he will not do everything. He knows that living this way would be destructive to the pursuit of his childhood dreams.
“I’d say firmly in the desire camp, just because I know the latter isn’t going to help me,” Rose said of the desire vs. obsession question. “Maybe it’s professional discipline just to keep it in the realm of desire. I think I probably wouldn’t let myself go the other way. Like I said, that probably won’t be fruitful. Professionally, I won’t do that.”
So Rose will just do the only thing he knows he can as the 90th Masters prepares to begin on Thursday. He will absorb the good atmosphere of a place where he almost touched the sun and hopes that this time fate will call his name.
“The key is showing up,” Rose said. “The key is to try to be as free as possible in those moments. Yeah, you have to hope a little along the way that it’s your day.”
;)
