Rose Relishes New Masters Opportunity Without Added Pressure

Justin Rose remains unfazed by the pressure to make amends for last year's heartbreaking play-off loss at The Masters, instead focusing on his fresh bid for victory at Augusta National. A year after narrowly missing out to Rory McIlroy, Rose has charged into contention with rounds of 70 and 69, and insists the past near-misses have only served as a lesson that he can win at The Masters. Rose mixed five birdies with two bogeys to set the early clubhouse target on Friday, and expressed his satisfaction at being in contention again. "It's a continuation of being on the leaderboard here, keeping the dream alive and continuing to enjoy this great tournament," Rose said. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining a focused yet enjoyable approach to his game, saying, "I feel no added pressure or expectation because of what happened last year. I just always enjoy competing here." Rose recovered from an opening-hole bogey to post four birdies in a five-hole stretch, eventually finishing five under. Fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton also made a significant move up the leaderboard with a six-under 66, posting seven birdies before carding his only bogey at the last. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, however, struggled with a two-over 74, bogeying both par-fives on the second nine. Despite this, Scheffler remained optimistic, saying, "I felt like I was really challenging. I played really pretty well. Today I felt like I played a lot better than my score."