TRON, Scotland — The par putt on the 72nd hole at Royal Troon disappeared on the 18th hole from about 30 feet to cap a dramatic finish on a cold, dark Scottish afternoon Sunday.
Justin Rose took off his hat and raised it in celebration toward the gray sky as fans packed into the huge stands on either side of the 18th hole roared their emotional approval.
If you didn’t have a better idea, you would have thought Rose had won the 152nd British Open, and that he would be handed the Claret Trophy a few minutes later as “Golf Champion of the Year,” the title given to the British Open champion.
The truth is that Rose ended up tied for second place.
But that didn’t stop the 43-year-old Englishman from winning this week.
Although you were very impressed with Claret Cup winner Xander Schoeffel playing alongside Rose in the second-last encounter of the day, it was hard not to cheer for Rose, who had put himself in the playoffs to earn a place in the field for the tournament he yearned to win more than anything else.
“I felt two emotions,” Rose said of the moment on the 18th hole. “I was disappointed when I left the course. It hit me hard because I was so strong on the course today. I played the way I really wanted to today. I started the match strong. I played my own game in the tournament from the beginning. I felt comfortable all day.”
“I left everything where it belonged. That’s the deal I made with myself today – I won’t regret anything.”
Asked how he reacted to the birdie putt on the 18th hole, Rose said: “Well, I won second place, I won prizes, FedEx Cup points, all that stuff too. At that point, you become a pro.
“And then,” he continued, “I walked 10 steps later, choking back tears. So, that’s the transformation. Yeah, just the character, and enjoying the 18th with the crowd as well. I just think it’s an amazing stage. To me, that’s the best look in golf, those long grandstands that you walk on and the big yellow leaderboard. That’s what I associate with a magical moment.”
“You want to walk off the golf course saying, ‘Yeah, I didn’t waste that.’”
Rose wasted no time on Sunday, shooting a 67 in the final round of a tough Open final that saw some of the world’s best players take on.
He was outplayed by a player like Schauffele who has established himself as perhaps the most complete player in the world, a player with no weaknesses, having won two of the four Grand Slams this year.
He was outplayed by a player at the peak of his powers, 13 years younger than him.
“Justin is very aware of his age, and I think that’s an inspiration to him,” Rose’s assistant Mark Fulcher said after the game.
Perhaps more important than any of Rose’s many qualities is that he remains hungry despite having everything in life.
He has won more than $66 million on the golf course and countless millions more off it. He has 11 wins, including one major championship, the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. He has also enjoyed great success in the Ryder Cup throughout his career.
However, Rose, who did not qualify for the Open by world ranking, went to a small tournament in England and put himself in the qualifying battle for qualification.
With all the advantages we mentioned above in life, he did not need to do this.
But Fulcher strongly disagreed with this view.
“He had to do it because this is his tournament,” Fulcher said. “He loves the Masters incredibly, but there’s no doubt that this is the number one tournament in his heart. There was no doubt that he was going to play in the tournament to qualify.”
Rose accepted the challenge, and he too proved that resilience is one of his best traits.
“I’m still dying to eat it,” he said. “That makes it even more so.”
I covered Rose’s first appearance in the Open, when he was 17 in 1998 playing at Royal Birkdale, where he stunned the golfing world by finishing fourth.
Rose turned pro shortly after, and failed to hit his first 21 hits. That would have broken even the strongest players. But Rose persevered. He built an incredible career that gave him almost everything… except the Claret Cup.
Rose’s second place finish in the tournament qualifies him for next year’s Open at Royal Portrush. Until he is no longer in contention for the Claret Cup, Rose will continue his pursuit with determination.
Asked if he felt “free” playing in the Open while chasing his biggest prize, Rose said: “No, I don’t think so. It’s probably harder because you want it more. It’s an internal battle, isn’t it? You want it, but you don’t want it so much that it hinders your performance.
“So, it’s always a dance we do.”
