By Rory Carroll
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 12 (Reuters) – Justin Rose said the support he received from patrons at Augusta National this week would stay with him after the 45-year-old Englishman again fell short in his bid to win a first Masters title.
Rose briefly held the lead during Sunday’s final round before slipping back and finishing two shots behind winner Rory McIlroy in a four-way tie for third, a year after losing to McIlroy in a playoff.
The former U.S. Open champion said the ovation he received as he walked up the 18th fairway was especially meaningful after another near miss at Augusta, where he has finished runner-up three times.
ANOTHER STINGER
“I felt like the crowd was amazing to me all week long … I felt their encouragement and support,” he said.
“At the end it kind of goes a little flat. It’s more of a sympathy than anything. But it was still nonetheless very beautiful.
“But, yeah, another little stinger.”
Rose, who poured in five front-nine birdies, said he felt confident he had put himself in position to challenge before momentum turned around Amen Corner.
“I was really in control. First 10 holes, I felt like I was,” he said.
“And the mentality was to run through the finish line not just try and get it done.”
But costly bogeys on the 11th and 12th halted his momentum and he looked dejected when he missed a short par putt on the 17th to close the door on his dream of winning the Masters title this year.
“Today I felt like there was an opportunity to do better, so obviously that is frustrating,” Rose said.
A LOT OF RUNWAY AHEAD
Even so, Rose said recent seasons had strengthened his belief that he can keep contending in the game’s biggest events and eventually challenge again for a Green Jacket.
“In the last two years I’ve really kind of re-kicked on and re-energized my career and I have a lot of belief in myself that there is a lot of runway ahead,” he said.
“These are the tournaments I focus on. These tournaments are why I practice. These are the tournaments that get me going that extra mile.”
Rose also said Augusta’s unique demands could continue to suit him as he gets older, pointing to veterans who have remained competitive at the Masters deep into their careers including Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer.
“Those guys get around this golf course,” he said.
Asked why he thought the galleries had embraced him so strongly, Rose offered a simple explanation.
“I think people just know I play hard. I try hard. I’ve been close,” he said.
“I think they just appreciate the effort.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Chris Reese)
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