Justin Rose left the Augusta National grounds last year with a feeling of déjà vu.
It was the second time in eight years that no one beat Rose through 72 holes at the Masters. And for the second time in eight years, the then 44-year-old left golf’s mecca as a hapless loser. Rose’s emotional final-round 66 ended in what I thought was his moment at the Masters. His curling 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th green caused a roar throughout Augusta National and ultimately earned him a playoff spot against Rory McIlroy.
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But after McIlroy defeated his own Masters demons on the first hole of the playoffs, Rose left Augusta National disappointed that fate wasn’t calling his name again. But another near miss, and the third runner-up finish of his career at the Masters, didn’t leave Rose in a bad mood.
“Why me?” Rose said Monday ahead of the 2026 Masters. “You think you could have done it better, you could have done it differently, but it’s not like you’re honoring the golf gods who gave it to you. ‘Why me?’ No…When you realize you’re that close, you taste the victory. What if it was the other way around?” You know how it feels. I could see what it felt like. It was all unfolding before my eyes. So I was living as if I could win, but I felt everything, even though there was obviously no real positive emotion associated with it.
“That’s the way it is. I went home Sunday feeling like I gave it my all.”
Augusta National is a haven for those who have won the Masters. When you put on your green jacket, every corner of the property is filled with memories and you can feel the sensation of floating above the golf world. Even if your hair turns gray and your talent fades, that moment will live on forever.
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But for others, Augusta National holds nothing but pain and questions. It’s a place that has baffled some greats and hurt others. In Rose’s case, you would expect the scar tissue to be overwhelming. If you look at the big trophy in the Augusta National clubhouse, you’ll see his name appear three times, all as runner-up. He and Ben Hogan are the only two players to lose multiple Masters in the playoffs. Rose has led or co-led the Masters nine times after Games 1, 2 and 3, which ranks third all-time behind Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. There are 10 jackets in total. Hogan won twice. Justin Rose is 18 under par in the last 10 Masters. This ranks seventh behind Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, and Hideki Matsuyama. Rose and Schauffele are the only two to have not won the Masters.
Rose is still waiting. He did it not to solve the Augusta National problem. It’s a course that suits his eye and he knows how to navigate. He’s waiting for his time at the Masters to finally get right. He’s part of Masters history, but not the type he himself dreamed of. But the “what ifs” and “might haves” didn’t change Rose’s feelings about this place.
“For me, I think I’m very aware of how close I am to here,” Rose said. “I’m very aware that I’ve had some tough, tough losses here. I also know that I’m enjoying this place. So I don’t want to think that these three second-place finishes need to create a different kind of feeling for me. I can’t control the results.”
“I think I can be philosophical about it. Of course, I look at it and think they’re stacking up, stacking up. I think eight guys have won this tournament after finishing second the year before. If I look at the field, it probably increases my odds. I look at it and think, okay, that’s good. I’m happy with that.”
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Rose arrived at his 21st Masters with far less runway in front of him than road behind him. He is now 45 years old and ranked No. 7 in the world, but he knows time is ticking. He enjoys the work and the struggle and that’s why he’s still at the top of his game. He’s there thanks in part to his relentless perseverance and ability to absorb and wash away the disappointments that naturally occur when you live and play to make your name alongside the game’s greats.
He missed 21 cuts before starting his professional career. He will fully admit that when he was starting out, he did not seek knowledge where he should have sought it. He made mistakes, but ultimately learned from them and built on the hard lessons the game forced him to learn. He always knew that following his dreams would be painful. Pain has to be part of the journey. To win a major championship, you have to be prepared to fail. If you don’t reach your goal, all you can do is dust yourself off, believe that the end goal is still reachable, that it’s just within your reach, and try again.
“Even before I won a major, I kind of knew it,” Rose said of dealing with adversity. “I knew I was going to win on some level. I knew I was going to lose. I just wanted to get out of the way too early, and when the opportunity to win a major came along, I somehow realized that I shouldn’t put too much weight on that moment. I somehow realized that you can’t jump through a career without some heartache and some heartbreak, you don’t have a chance. If you want to beat them, you have to be willing to be on some kind of bad side.”Well. ”
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Over the years, we’ve seen countless players become obsessed with winning. This year’s golf competition in this place. This performance dominated McIlroy until last year, when he sunk a 4-foot birdie putt to defeat Rose. Ernie Els is left with regrets, and Lee Trevino is searching for answers. It would be understandable if Rose, who feels he should have already won here, was obsessed with winning here — if everything was aligned to ensure his real Masters moment finally arrived.
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But that’s not him. he want Of course, to win the Masters. But he doesn’t accomplish everything. He knows that such a way of life is destructive to the pursuit of childhood dreams.
“I’m adamant that I’m a desire person because I know the latter won’t help me,” Rose said of the question of desire versus obsession. “It’s probably a professional discipline to stay in the realm of desire. I probably wouldn’t push myself into any other path. Like I said, it probably wouldn’t be fruitful. Professionally, I’m not going to do that.”
So Rose will do the only thing he knows he can do as he prepares for the 90th Masters to begin Thursday. He enjoys the good vibes of the place where he was almost touched by the sun, hoping that this time fate will call his name.
“The key is to show up,” Rose said. “The key is to try to be as free as possible in the moment. Well, along the way, you have to wish a little bit that this is your day.”
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