Justin Rose has admitted that he is “tormented” by the thought of what might have been at the Masters after his agonising play-off defeat to Rory McIlroy.
Rose produced a superb final-round 66 to match his rival at the top of the leaderboard, but fell short when the Northern Irishman birdied the first play-off hole to complete a career grand slam.
While McIlroy’s hunt for a fifth major dominated the discussion over the weekend, the Englishman has endured his own woes at Augusta, having now finished second on three occasions.
Rose has twice been denied a green jacket in a play-off having also lost to Sergio Garcia in 2017 having let the opportunity to take the tournament outright in the final round slip with a bogey at the 17th.
The 44-year-old has also twice finished second at The Open, including last year at Royal Troon, and conceded that his run of near misses is tough to take.
“[There are] mixed emotions for sure,” Rose reflected on the Masters ahead of the PGA Tour’s next event, the RBC Heritage. “A lot of outpouring from people with a lot of positive comments coming at me so trying to absorb that and absorb the week, but the same time looking at my phone and wishing there was a different message there.
“Having been in that situation before and even more this time, I could really sense what it would be like to win it. I was right there on the edge of winning it obviously.
“I certainly don’t feel down in any way, shape or form because of the performance I was able to put in and how I was able to feel putting in that performance, but just sort of… don’t know what the right word is, tormented probably by the thought of what might have been.
“I take that loss pretty badly. But listen, I was a stone’s throw away from winning the Open, winning the Masters. I would have been going for a grand slam at the PGA [Championship[. It’s like, it can be that close. I’ve got to believe that.
“The last two majors I’ve been right there and been beaten by the top players in the world at the peak of their game.
“But on both occasions I’ve felt like I’ve stepped up, I’ve hit the shots, I’ve played well, I’ve felt great, and I’m doing the right things to win. So just got to keep the level high enough to keep creating those opportunities.”
McIlroy is not playing at Harbour Town Golf Links this week after finally ending his 11-year wait for another major. Rose, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg headline a stacked field for one of the PGA Tour’s signature events.
