When Justin Rose played the first Major of his career, Rory McIlroy was nine years old. It was in 1998. The Englishman played the Open Championship as an amateur and finished in fourth place. The world discovered him. It didn’t take much more to quickly label him as the new Nick Faldo. We do love a label.
Back then, Rory was already leaving people speechless. He wasn’t a scratch golfer yet, but he was already performing wonders at his Holywood Golf Club, had won the World Championship for under-ten-year-olds in Doral, and was invited to a prime-time show in the United States where he delighted viewers by chipping golf balls into a washing machine.
Almost 27 years later, Rose has been a privileged witness to the greatest success of a professional golfer in the 21st century. McIlroy’s rise to the top with his victory at the Masters Tournament and his entry into the exclusive group of Grand Slam champions. Naturally, Rory grabbed the headlines and stories yesterday, but it’s time to talk about Rose, what he did, how he did it, and his behaviour. It was a perfect blend of grace, sportsmanship, and fierce competitiveness.
There’s much to learn from Rose. First, because he gives lessons without intending to. And those are the most valuable lessons. His performance yesterday at the Augusta National was exquisite. He signed a card of 66 strokes, achieved ten birdies, sank a putt under maximum pressure on the 18th to push his good friend McIlroy to the limit, and competed with class and his head held high in the playoff. Simply put, Rory was better.
All of that was spectacular, but the best part was what wasn’t seen. For example, walking up the 18th fairway on the 72nd hole. Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, was playing with him and started walking slower. He was holding back to give all the honours to the Englishman. After all, he was the one contending for the tournament and deserved the great ovation from the crowd. Rose quickly noticed Johnson’s gesture, who, by the way, was the captain of the United States in the Ryder Cup in Italy where the Englishman was a pillar for Europe. He turned and said to him, “No, you’re a champion here, let’s go together.” Grace.
Shortly after, Johnson, another gentleman from head to toe, suggested finishing his one-metre putt for par to give Rose more time to study his birdie putt, which at that moment could have meant a green jacket. “It wasn’t the putt to win the tournament, but Zach felt that if I made it, the fans would get quite excited. As a player, you also want to avoid being left with a short putt of two, three, or four feet with the crowd still moving and murmuring. Often, it’s a matter of mutual respect. You tell the other to finish because you know what can happen if you make yours. I said, ‘Yes, go ahead, please.’ And I took the opportunity to give it another look from behind the hole because I had already had that putt on the 18th against Sergio, and it went by the high right edge. It’s the putt you always practice, but when you have it in front of you, you doubt how much it’s going to break. It was a great day with Zach,” he explained. Two gentlemen.
Don’t be fooled by his appearance or his good manners when speaking. Rose is a fierce competitor. Just ask Mickelson at the Ryder Cup in Medinah. Or the entire American team in Italy. That’s why he wasn’t happy yesterday when he lost in the playoff, but he didn’t make a drama out of it and, above all, he didn’t take it out on the surroundings. He simply accepted it as another part of the game. “Yes, it hurts, of course it hurts. What are you going to do? I did very well in my career after finishing second to Sergio here. I played the best golf of my life and reached World Number One. What do you decide to give more importance to? There’s no point in being too downcast. You have to look at all the good that brought me to this situation. Disappointment is part of an athlete’s career. If you want to win the big tournaments, you have to put yourself in that line. You have to risk feeling this to be able to have the opposite. In the end, everything balances out,” he assures. A life lesson.
The frustration of finishing second exists, but it doesn’t prevent him from seeing the bigger picture. That’s why, 27 years after debuting in a Major, Rose is able to feel privileged to witness a historic moment firsthand. He doesn’t shy away from it, nor does he feel burdened. “We saw history today. Someone completed the Grand Slam. It’s a momentous day for golf. It’s logical that the fans are excited. He’s a captivating player, plays with style, charisma, energy… and you never know, because he’s made mistakes under pressure. People want to keep watching him,” he points out. Of course, he had a few words for him when they hugged on the 18th green: “he’s a friend, no doubt. We walked to the tee and shook hands, it’s part of the business. When it was all over, I said to him, ‘I’m glad I was on this green to see you win the Grand Slam.’ It’s a monumental moment in golf. That was it. He was clearly very emotional, probably couldn’t take much in at that moment. But yes, it was a great day for golf.” A true British lord.
But the fire still runs through Rose’s veins. He’s not a player in retirement, far from it. He’s 44 years old, but he’s finished second in the last two Majors that have been played and among the top six in three of the last four. There’s something there. He competes very well. In fact, he’s played 82 Majors in his entire career and has almost as many top 10s (23) as missed cuts (25). When he’s there, he’s there. That’s why it’s worth listening to him when he says the following: “it’s been an incredible week from day one. The course has been in beautiful condition. The weather has been spectacular. It’s been the most beautiful Masters from that point of view in a long time. It’s been just as one would dream it. And well, some of the golf I’ve played this week has probably been the best of my career, from tee to green, and even on the greens at times. The only blemish was the back nine yesterday, where I let too many opportunities slip away easily. But I woke up in the morning simply grateful to be in Augusta on a Sunday. It’s a special day in the world of golf, no matter the situation, and I really wanted to give my best.”
Rose let himself be carried away by the magic of Augusta, decided to be guided by the crowd on Sunday, and felt privileged to have the opportunity to experience moments like this. “I didn’t look at the leaderboard all day until the 18th green. I asked Fooch (his caddie) how it was going, and he told me one behind. I already felt something like that was happening because of the crowd’s reaction on the 17th, that I was in the fight, and on the 18th, when I heard the roar of the crowd, I understood that Rory had done something special on the 15th. I had to make that putt to keep hope alive. It’s the kind of putt you dream of as a child, and having it and making it was something special. Unfortunately, playoffs always end so quickly… you know, it’s sudden death. If you’re not the one hitting the big shot or making the big putt, it’s over. Honestly, today I couldn’t do much more,” he concludes.
Have a Justin Rose in your life. The Englishman is starting to resemble José María Olazábal. When he speaks, you have to listen. And he’s on his way to becoming a legend in the Ryder Cup. Mark his name for captain. Certainly. And don’t rule out that he might be in more than one edition.
