
In spite of being thought of as being an English player, owing to the fact that that is his ‘sporting nationality’, Justin Peter Rose was actually born in Johannesburg, South Africa. After moving to England when he was five, Rose began playing golf at Tylney Park Golf Club before moving to Southwood Golf Club, then Hartley Wintney Golf Club before finally landing at North Hants Golf Club, with all of them being near his home.
Rose was just 11-years-old when he broke 70 for the first time; a feat that many much older golfers haven’t achieved after playing for years. By the age of 14 his handicap was +3, showing just what a talented golfer he was destined to become. In 1997, 17-year-old Rose was invited to take part in the Walker Cup, but greater things were to come in the following year.
Rose took part in the Open Championship in 1998 as an amateur, making the golfing world sit up and take notice when he holed from the rough on the 18th at Royal Birkdale, which secured him a birdie and saw him finish tied-4th. That was, unsurprisingly, the best score by an amateur and earned him the silver medal. He made the decision to turn professional the following day.
Although he struggled initially, missing the cut in his first 21 events consecutively, he finished fourth at qualifying school in 1999 and earned his European Tour card. In 2001 he played well enough to finish in the top-40 on the Order of Merit, creeping up the Official World Golf Ranking in the years that followed. His first win on American soil came in the Memorial Tournament in Ohio in 2010, beating Rickie Fowler by three strokes.
Justin Rose’s Major Wins
Years | Masters | US PGA | U.S. Open | Open |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | ✕ | ✕ | ✅ | ✕ |
Masters Tournament Wins: None
Justin Rose’s first entry into the Masters Tournament came in 2003 when he finished tied-39th. A year later and he was tied-22nd, then in 2007, having missed a year, he finished tied-5th. Rose didn’t miss the cut at the Masters until 2019, coming close to winning it in both 2015 and 2017. The 2015 Masters saw him in second place after shooting 67, 70, 67 in his first three rounds, ending up with another 70 on the final day to finish tied-2nd, four shots off the winner. Two years later and it was similar anguish, this time after a 71, 72 and 67 in the first three days put him tied for the lead. In the end it went to a play-off, with Sergio Garcia winning by two shots.
PGA Championship Wins: None
The first time that Justin Rose entered the PGA Championship was 2002, finishing tied-23rd before missing the cut in the following two years. In some ways, missing the cut or finishing in the top ten seems have been Rose’s modus operandi in the PGA Championship, missing the cut six times and earning a top ten finish seven times between his first entry and 2024. The closest he came to winning it came in 2012 when the competition took place on the Ocean Course of Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Having shot 69, 79 and 70, he wasn’t even in the top ten heading into the final day, but a 66 saw him end up tied-3rd, nine off winner Rory McIlroy.
US Open Wins: 1
The only Major that Justin Rose has won in his career came in the US Open, with the South African-born Englishman playing in the competition for the first time in 2003. He would’ve been forgiven for thinking that he had a decent chance of winning it during his career, considering the fact that he his first attempt at it saw him finish tied-5th. The fact that he missed the cut the following year is proof positive of just how cruel golf can be as a sport. Other than the year that he won it, Rose’s closest attempt to getting another US Open win on the board came in 2019 when the Pebble Beach Golf Links saw him come in tied-3rd, six shots off the winner.
2013 – Maiden Major at Merion
No English golfer had won the US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970 and no Englishman had won a Major since Sir Nick Faldo had managed it in 1996. It is fair to say, therefore, that hopes weren’t all that high for Justin Rose as he began his attempt to win the tournament on Merion Golf Club’s East Course. An opening round of 71 was followed up by a 69 on day two, moving him to tied-3rd and just one off the lead. Another 71 saw him drop to tied-5th, two off Phil Mickelson in the lead, but when the American got double-bogeys on the third and fifth it gave Rose a chance. A final round 70 was enough to hand him is only Major to date.
Open Championship Wins: None
Being English, at least in a sporting sense, Justin Rose should be able to take on the Open Championship more readily than many golfers. It was also the first of the Majors that he played in, ending up tied-4th in spectacular fashion in 1998. He struggled to challenge in the years that followed, however, either missing the cut or finishing well outside the top ten until a tied-6th finish in 2015. Three years later and he enjoyed his joint-best finish when he ended up tied-2nd at Carnoustie, two shots off winner Francesco Molinari. In 2024 the Open was played at Royal Troon, with Rose again ending up in tied-2nd, once again two shots worse off than the winner, Xander Schauffele.