Justin Rose has sent a heartfelt message to Masters champion Rory McIlroy despite the Northern Irishman defeating him in the Masters playoff at Augusta National on Sunday. The pair have known each other for a long time, and the Englishman said it was “pretty cool” to share a historic moment with his compatriot.
McIlroy made history on Sunday when he saw off Rose’s spirited challenge to end his long wait for a major and become only the sixth golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam. Rose began the day seven shots off McIlroy’s lead on the leaderboard. However, the Northern Irishman hit a couple of bogeys and Rose hit back-nine birdies to take the final round to a playoff.
The two players striped their tee shots on the first playoff hole, and Rose stuck his approach shot to 15 feet. McIlroy responded brilliantly by stuffing his approach four feet from the hole to put pressure on Rose to roll in another medium-range putt. However, the Englishman’s putt rolled toward the hole and looked on course halfway there, but it eventually missed low and narrowly drifted past the hole.
McIlroy duly rolled the four-foot birdie attempt into the cup to land his first Masters title and complete his career Grand Slam. The 35-year-old threw his putter in the air and fell to his knees as he revelled in euphoria. McIlroy hugged Rose after he got back on his feet as the two shared a brief moment in embrace
Rose Congratulates McIlroy on Historic Win
Rose started the 2025 Masters in blistering fashion with a seven-under 65. He held the 36-hole lead before falling back on Saturday. The Englishman also finished runner-up at the 2024 Open Championship.
*I gave it everything….Congratulations @McIlroyRory on winning the @TheMasters and completing the Grand Slam. Very cool sharing the green with you in that moment…Thank you Team🌹 as always for all the support during the week… We go again 👊🏻,” Rose posted on X on Monday.
“Masters Win an Historic Moment For McIlroy”
Justin Rose is not new to suffering heartbreaks at Augusta National. The Englishman lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff eight years ago. After being edged out by McIlroy on Sunday for his second sudden-death playoff loss, Rose had some heartfelt messages for the Northern Irishman.
“I just said, listen, this is a historic moment in golf, isn’t it, someone who achieves the career Grand Slam,” Rose told reporters after the loss. “I just said it was pretty cool to be able to share that moment with him. Obviously, I wanted to be the bad guy today, but still, it’s a momentous occasion for the game of golf.”
Main Photo Credit: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
