Professional golfers are in the business of results. The success of any given season, for players in the upper echelons of the game is measured by the number of trophies won by year-end. In the case of Justin Rose’s 2017 though, one of the best years of his career will be remembered for two near-misses.
Rose showed some encouraging early season form this year with five top-20s in his first seven starts on the PGA Tour, including a runner-up finish at the Genesis Open. It therefore wasn’t much of a surprise when he found himself in the hunt at Augusta National. In recent years, the Englishman had played well at the Masters, notching three top-10s in the last six years, the best of which was a T-2 behind Jordan Spieth in 2015.
Sharing the 54-hole lead with Sergio Garcia, Rose was installed as the favourite to don the Green Jacket on Sunday. After all, Rose had won the 2013 US Open while Garcia was chasing that elusive first major title.
When weighed against all of the heartbreak the Spaniard had suffered over the years, and the undeniable self-doubt which grew with each passing year, the smart money was on Rose.
Standing on the 13th tee, Rose had a two-shot lead. When Garcia hit a wayward drive into an Azalea bush, many sensed that he’d wilt under pressure once more and hand his Ryder Cup teammate a second major victory.
Instead, Garcia showed admirable grit to grind out a par and remain in touch. An eagle at the 15th and a dropped shot by Rose at the 17th was enough to send the tournament to extra holes.
Much to the surprise of most, it was in fact Rose who blinked first. After failing to save par following a wayward drive, Garcia had two putts to break his major duck. Not for the first time on Sunday, the 37-year-old showed nerves of steel to bury his first putt for a birdie.
Having missed out on the chance to add the Masters win to a CV boasting the US Open and an Olympic Gold medal, Rose’s form dropped off alarmingly in the months that followed. The 37-year-old failed to finish inside the top-50 for the remainder of the regular PGA Tour season.
Overall, the major season was a disappointment after promising so much initially. A modest T-54 finish at the Open was sandwhiched in between missed cuts at the US Open and PGA Championship.
As bad as Rose had been in the middle of the season, he was as superb in the latter stagesof 2017.
Rose rediscovered his early season form with a much-needed T-10 finish at the Northern Trust after posting a four-under 72-hole total. He then put a return to form beyond all doubt over the remaining weeks of the FedexCup playoffs, posting a further three top-10s, the most impressive of which was a a T-2 finish at the BMW Championship courtesy of an 18-under total.
Brimming with confidence, he returned to Europe and took aim at Tommy Fleetwood who led the Race to Dubai. Needing a miracle to close the gap on his countryman, Rose made a terrific start by taking top honours at the HSBC Champions in China.
When he followed it up with a second successive title at the Turkish Airlines Open, the season-long race was set to go down to the wire.
Fearing burnout, Rose took a gamble and skipped the third event of the series, the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Fleetwood meanwhile opted to play at the Gary Player Country Club. A T-10 finish ensured a 256 000-point cushion heading into the DP World Tour Championship.
Rose had it all to do over the Earth Course to win his first Order of Merit title since 2007. And do it he nearly did. He got the upperhand early, carding a 66 to Fleetwood’s 73 to take the lead in the projected standings. Fleetwood rebounded with an impressive 65 to edge in front as Rose signed for a 70.
The pair carded matching 65s on Saturday to setup a thrilling finish. With permutations flying around for much of Sunday, Rose made a fast start to his round with a front-nine 32. As Fleetwood faltered, Rose appeared destined to complete arguably the best finish to a season in European Tour history.
And then it all began to fall apart spectacularly. Three dropped shots in a five-hole stretch from the 12th saw Rose’s challenge unravelling fast. Having signed for a 74, Fleetwood watched on anxiously as Rose played the par-5 18th. Needing an eagle to pip Fleetwood, Rose hit two superb shots just right of the green.
Golf is a game of fractions. Fractions which, on Sunday at the Earth Course, proved costly for Rose. His eagle putt threatened the hole before sliding fractionally past the hole to deny him victory in the Race to Dubai. One shot. 12 months of toil had come down to one shot. Over 12 months, Rose had played one too many shots. Scary.
For most, two wins and 10 top-10s in 33 worldwide starts would be a hugely successful year. For Justin Rose though, the Masters and Race to Dubai will leave a sour taste in his mouth.
$6 million in total earnings is cold comfort for a man who, at this point in his career is chasing the biggest titles in world golf.
Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images
Free Drop Media 