‘I’m sure I’ll win it one day’ – Justin Rose upbeat following Masters playoff defeat to Sergio Garcia

Justin Rose congratulates Sergio Garcia after winning the Masters
Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Marco Giacomelli10 April 2017

Justin Rose is confident he will walk out of Augusta one day as a Masters champion.

With two holes to play, the Englishman was a shot ahead of Sergio Garcia but hopes of donning the Green Jacket disappeared with a bogey at the 17th, a missed birdie attempt at the last and a poor drive in the play-off.

However, Rose, who was bidding to be the first European to claim the Masters and US Open, believes his time will come.

“This is a tournament I am going to win one day,” said the 36-year-old. “I’ve been in the last group a couple of times and shot 14 under when Jordan Spieth won. I feel really confident here, this is my favourite tournament of the year. I still have a bunch of good years in me and I feel that this is one that I can knock off.

“Lots of good things happened today. It was a wonderful battle with Sergio. I just needed one or two putts coming in.”

He grimaced a bit, no doubt remembering the six-footer that skidded by the hole on No13, when he had a chance to put Garcia away after the Spaniard drove under an azalea bush.

Or perhaps he was thinking of the seven-footer at the 17th, the one he just didn’t hit hard enough, resulting in a bogey that sent him to the 72nd hole tied with Garcia.

And he will never forget that final hole, his first crack at No18, where another seven‑footer burned the edge of the cup. That was hard for Rose to take, but he will not beat himself up too much.

“This one probably is one that slipped by, for sure, but I can’t pick holes in my performance,” he said. “I felt fantastic out there. I felt cool, calm and collected.”

In the end, it was not enough. Garcia, generally recognised as the best player never to win a Major, removed that tag against someone who knew a bit about how that felt before his breakthrough victory at the 2013 US Open. Indeed, Rose seemed genuinely happy for a player he considers both a rival and a friend.

In Pictures | Masters 2017

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The play-off was a bit of an anti‑climax, pretty much decided when Rose drove behind a towering magnolia tree right of the fairway, forcing him to punch out and hope he could somehow make par.

He had a good shot at it, hitting his approach to about 14 feet from the flag. But the putt missed to the right this time, and Garcia made it a moot point by rolling in his birdie.

“It’s always nice to be a part of history,” added Rose. “I would have liked to be on the right part of it.”

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