Justin Rose Falls Short Again as Masters Drought Extends to 13 Years

For ten holes on Sunday at Augusta National, Justin Rose looked destined to finally claim the Green Jacket that has eluded him for more than a decade. The 45-year-old Englishman had birdied three of his first seven holes to seize a two-shot lead and was playing with the kind of authority that suggested history might finally be made.

Instead, Amen Corner claimed another chapter in what has become one of golf's most heartbreaking recurring stories.

Rose bogeyed the 11th, then fluffing a chip on the iconic 12th hole that proved pivotal. He reached the par-five 13th in two strokes but watched his eagle putt slide past the cup, unable to convert the birdie chance that might have shifted momentum back his way. When he three-putted the 17th green and punched the air in frustration, his fate was sealed. Another runner-up finish at the Masters, his third in total and second in consecutive years, was confirmed.

"I was really in control — the first 10 holes — and the mentality was to run through the finish line, not just try and get it done," Rose said afterward. "I was playing great, but momentum shifted for me around Amen Corner."

The defeat marks 13 years since Rose's last major championship victory, his 2013 US Open triumph at Merion. He also settled for second place in play-offs at this tournament in 2017 and again 12 months ago when Rory McIlroy prevailed. Despite his obvious class — eight top-10 finishes at Augusta alone confirm his quality — the Green Jacket remains conspicuously absent from his wardrobe.

Even his Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton acknowledged the cruel nature of the outcome. "If there was anyone deserving of a Green Jacket it probably would be Rosey," Hatton said after finishing joint third alongside Rose.

Rose, however, remains undeterred. At 45, he demonstrated this week that he still possesses the game and the hunger to compete at the very highest level. Two PGA Tour victories in the past eight months underline his continued pedigree, and he turned down significant financial incentives to join LIV Golf, citing his desire to keep challenging himself on the biggest stages.

"I'll just keep knocking on that door. See you next year, Augusta," Rose wrote on social media afterward.

The question now is whether fate will eventually smile on one of golf's most deserving players, or whether the nearly man label will define his Augusta legacy forever.