Rose Gains Confidence from Past Masters Near-Misses

Justin Rose is determined to make amends for last year's play-off heartbreak at The Masters, drawing motivation from his string of near-misses at Augusta National. The former world No 1 has already secured a PGA Tour victory this season at the Farmers Insurance Open and boasts an impressive record at The Masters, including a narrow loss to Rory McIlroy last year, his third runner-up finish at the event. Rose has registered 10 top-10 finishes in majors since his 2017 play-off loss to Sergio Garcia, including a runner-up finish to Xander Schauffele at The Open in 2024. "I hope my near-misses at The Masters only boost my belief that I can win," Rose said. "I feel like I've done what it takes to win; I just haven't crossed the finish line. I don't feel like I need to find something within myself to do something different - I truly believe that." Rose reflected on last year's contest, where he held a three-shot lead after the opening day and a one-shot advantage heading into the weekend, only to fall behind after a third-round 75 before mounting a dramatic Sunday comeback. "When you're that close, you can taste victory," Rose admitted. "You know what it would feel like if you had won. I could see the celebrations; it all played out right in front of me." A victory this year would make Rose the second-oldest winner of The Masters in history, just a year younger than Jack Nicklaus when he claimed his 18th major title in 1986. Rose, who turns 46 in July, insisted that he doesn't think about his age on a day-to-day basis, but instead focuses on finding new ways to improve his game. "I still feel like there are areas of my game that I can improve significantly without age being a factor," Rose said. "I'm still enjoying the work, and that's the most important thing. When you enjoy it, you don't feel your age."