Rose Reflects on Missed Opportunity as Scheffler and Hatton Make Strong Finishes

Justin Rose expressed disappointment at letting a chance slip away as he narrowly missed out on Masters victory at Augusta National. Rose, a three-time runner-up, had led by two shots during the final round after achieving four birdies in five holes at the ninth. However, he struggled around Amen Corner with consecutive bogeys at the 11th and 12th holes, and then failed to capitalize on a superb second shot into the 13th, three-putting for par. This allowed Rory McIlroy to overtake Rose, who ultimately signed for a two-under 70, finishing in a four-way tie for third on 10 under, two strokes behind McIlroy. Rose reflected, "I was in control, and my mentality was to push through to the finish line, not just try to get it done. I was playing well, but momentum shifted against me around Amen Corner. It was just a chance that got away, obviously. I wasn't close to having the job done, but I was in the right position." Despite the two bogeys, Rose felt that his par at the 13th ultimately cost him his first Masters win. "Maybe, off the back of two bogeys, that was the moment where a birdie would have really settled things down and got me back in it," he added. Rose praised the patrons at Augusta National, saying, "The crowd was amazing to me all week long. They supported me all week, and I felt their encouragement. At the end, it was a bit flat, more like sympathy than anything." Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 winner, claimed second place behind McIlroy on 11 under, coming close to snatching victory from 12 shots behind going into the weekend. Scheffler followed up Saturday's flawless 65 with a bogey-free 68, achieving the remarkable feat of not dropping a shot all weekend at Augusta National. "The first two days, I played what I felt was really solid on Thursday, and then Friday, with the softer greens, that round really hurt, especially the mistakes I made on the back nine," he said. Tyrrell Hatton, at one point, threatened to pull off a shock victory as he emerged from the pack with a tremendous run on the back nine. The 34-year-old Englishman, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, started the day seven off the lead but began to make inroads with an eagle two at the par-four seventh. Four successive birdies from the 13th saw him surge further up the leaderboard, but he could only par the closing two holes to finish with a six-under 66 for a 10-under-par total of 278 and a share of third place. "I'm really happy with the round I put together in the end. Obviously, I had a nice run on the back nine, and I'm happy to have secured a spot here for next year," he said. The PGA Tour heads to South Carolina for the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, where Justin Thomas returns as defending champion.