Rose Reflects on Missed Opportunity as Scheffler and Hatton Finish Strongly

Justin Rose acknowledged that he let a major opportunity slip away as he once again fell short of claiming the Masters title at Augusta National. The 45-year-old English golfer, a three-time runner-up, had briefly held a two-shot lead during the final round after carding his fourth birdie in five holes at the ninth. However, his momentum was halted by consecutive bogeys at the 11th and 12th holes, followed by a disappointing par at the 13th, where he three-putted from a superb second shot. This allowed Rory McIlroy to overtake Rose, who ultimately finished in a four-way tie for third place with a two-under 70, two strokes behind the Northern Irishman. Rose expressed his frustration, stating, "I was really in control... The mentality was to run through the finish line, not just try and get it done. I was playing great, but momentum shifted for me around the Amen Corner. Just a chance that got away obviously." Despite his disappointment, Rose praised the supportive crowd at Augusta National, saying, "The crowd was amazing to me all week long. They pulled for me all week long. I felt their encouragement and support. At the end, it kind of goes a little flat. It's more of a sympathy than anything." Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 winner, secured second place behind McIlroy with a remarkable bogey-free performance over the weekend. Scheffler reflected on his game, saying, "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 mistakes I made on the back nine. But overall over the weekend, I put up a good fight and proud of how I played." Tyrrell Hatton, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, made a stunning comeback with a tremendous run on the back nine, including an eagle two at the par-four seventh and four successive birdies from the 13th. Although he parred the final two holes, Hatton finished with a six-under 66, securing a share of third place and guaranteeing his spot at next year's Masters. Hatton expressed his joy, saying, "I'm really happy with the round that I put together in the end. Obviously had a nice run on the back nine. Happy that I've kind of guaranteed a spot here for next year... To be honest, most of the back nine I just wanted to make birdies because my wife is due in six weeks, and I was thinking about how it would be cool to come back next year and our little girl will be pretty much 11 months." The PGA Tour now heads to South Carolina for the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, while the next men's major, the PGA Championship, is scheduled to take place from May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.