Justin Rose: A Journey Through Generations at the Masters

Justin Rose has consistently topped the leaderboard this week at the Masters.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A simple “Yes or No” question greeted Justin Rose in the media center at Augusta National on Friday. It sought to understand whether he perceives the world of professional golf the same as we do.

I asked Rose if he categorizes professional golfers by generations. His answer was a straightforward “Yes,” and when asked which generation he belongs to, he elaborated on his ongoing challenge with age in the PGA Tour. At 44, Rose occasionally defies age, as he is doing at the Masters, leading after 36 holes.

“The young players rise so quickly these days,” Rose remarked about generational shifts. He noted that stars like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were “young bucks” just a short while ago, and now they’re at their peak, paving the way for promising talents like Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard to make their mark.

This constant emergence of new talent has silvered the hair around Rose’s ears. Viewing golf through a generational lens, Rose is aware that his presence in the competitive arena is delicate.

One older player stands out on the leaderboard—at the top. How long can he maintain this position?

It’s engaging to consider golfers within generational segments, as their achievements ebb and flow over decades. Players enter the scene with no say over their contemporaries, competing a lifetime to prove their prowess. Rose promptly identified two contemporaries he considers his generational peers: Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia.

“Still playing, still competitive, still ready and willing,” Rose noted about this trio.

Out of these three, Rose first shone as an amateur, while Garcia was the first to excel as a professional. Scott claimed the Players Championship in 2004, followed by Garcia in 2008. Scott was also the first to secure a major title in 2013, with Rose winning the following major just two months later.

Garcia and Scott, both born in 1980, preceded Rose, who was born to English parents in South Africa that July. Generational ties often boil down to “What year were you born?” or “When did you graduate high school?” Yet, another link between Scott and Garcia is the exclusive dining and locker room privileges at Augusta National, awarded to Masters champions.

Rose, however, remains jacketless.

Garcia would be the first to acknowledge that “Rosey” deserves a green jacket more than anyone else. Rose has led at the Masters post-round nine times, more than any other player who hasn’t won. One such lead was on Saturday night in 2017, only for Garcia to defeat him in a playoff the next day.

Their careers diverged significantly, a fact highlighted in 2022 when LIV Golf began pursuing major champions with lucrative offers.

Garcia, along with many of Rose’s European counterparts, accepted these late-career windfalls, as well as the ensuing reputational impact. Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, and Paul Casey joined Garcia, comprising a core group from Team Europe at the Ryder Cup. Together, they forged bonds over transatlantic journeys and shared football scores. All left for LIV, assuming Rose would follow suit.

Instead, Rose took an unexpected path. Despite his game seemingly declining as those opportunities arose, he foresaw what others didn’t: the importance of major championship access. “That’s where my childhood dreams lie,” Rose mentioned following his surprising 2023 Pebble Beach Pro-Am victory. Because of this focus, he has played in every major, while his former peers have only contested two collectively.

Calling this period his “Indian Summer,” Rose has been revitalizing his career since an unexpected resurgence at the PGA Championship in Valhalla, followed by a strong finish at the Open in Troon. To sustain himself, he relies on a mobile recovery unit for treatments like cold and hot plunges and infrared saunas.

“Chronologically, he might be in his 40s,” said his swing coach Mark Blackburn in July, “but biologically, he’s likely in his 30s due to his self-care.”

Rose aims to “steal” a major or two in his career twilight. Given his long odds at Augusta, his leaderboard presence suggests he’s midway to a remarkable coup. Witnessed by Max Homa, Rose’s play is “Total package type of golf,” consisting of twelve birdies and just four bogeys while leading the field in putting.

This earns him a slight advantage over three of golf’s elite for the weekend. On Saturday, he’ll start last in a major, pairing with a 30-year-old who could physically carry him to the 1st hole.

Yet, Rose also gets a chance to claim something seemingly lost—an assertion that generational gaps need not confine anyone. In truth, he has the opportunity to prove that life is vibrant during an Indian Summer.