Rose draws inspiration from past Masters near-misses

Justin Rose is looking to capitalize on his past experiences at Augusta National, where he has come close to winning on multiple occasions. The former world No 1, who has already secured a PGA Tour victory this season, is determined to make amends for last year's play-off heartbreak and his string of near-misses at The Masters. With a impressive record at the event, including three runner-up finishes, Rose is confident that his past performances will only boost his belief in his ability to win. "I hope it only boosts my belief that I can go ahead and do it," Rose said. "I feel like I've pretty much done what it takes to win. I just haven't walked over the line." Rose's near-misses at The Masters include a narrow loss to Rory McIlroy last year, as well as a play-off defeat to Sergio Garcia in 2017. Despite these disappointments, Rose has registered 10 top-10 finishes in majors since 2017, including a runner-up finish to Xander Schauffele at The Open in 2024. Rose is now focusing on the present and is determined to make the most of his opportunities at Augusta National. "I don't feel like I have to find something in myself to do something different - I truly believe that," Rose said. "I don't feel like it owes me anything. I come here with a good attitude. I come here with it being a place that I enjoy." A victory for Rose this year would see him become the second-oldest winner of The Masters in history, just a year younger than Jack Nicklaus when he claimed the last of his 18 major titles in 1986. Despite his age, Rose is feeling motivated and is enjoying the challenge of trying to improve his game. "I don't think about it on a day-to-day level," Rose said. "Happy that the narrative around it is more positive than negative, for the most part. Still feel like there's areas of my game that I can improve on significantly and easily without age being a factor to those areas of my game."