If Any Golfer Deserves Another Major It's Justin Rose

"I don't deserve this," laments the brutal Sheriff Bill Daggett, portrayed masterfully by the late Gene Hackman, as he prepares to be coldly executed by Clint Eastwood's William Munny in the 1992 Oscar-winning western Unforgiven.

"Deserve's got nothing to do with it" responds Eastwood's character before he pulls the trigger.

Indeed, you don't always get what you deserve in life or golf, and nowhere is that more acutely felt than in the pressure cauldron of a major championship which can often take on all the engrossing qualities of a fictional drama.

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Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Miller and Greg Norman never won the Masters. The US Open eluded Phil Mickelson and Sam Snead, while most wouldn't have begrudged the careers of Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood a major title.

However, if someone were to "deserve" a second major championship victory, then many out there would surely agree that Justin Rose is the perfect candidate.

The Englishman was once again a runner-up at Augusta National - for the third time - when he lost to history chasing Rory McIlroy in a playoff on an extraordinary Sunday that none who witnessed it will ever forget.

Like Hackman's Sherrif Daggett, Rose will forever be a formidable supporting character in a masterpiece production, with the 89th Masters set to go down in folklore as one of the most remarkable tournaments to have transpired on this most iconic of golfing landscapes.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Rose has been here before, though, having agonisingly fallen short against Sergio Garcia on the first extra hole in 2017, and being an eye-witness to Jordan Spieth's dominant display two years before that.

However, at 44, there may not be many future chances for the former world number one to add to his 2013 success at Merion, and while he was typically respectful and appreciative at being part of the scene for McIlroy's historic triumph, there will be understandable regret that it wasn't to be for him.

"We saw part of history today," Rose said afterwards. "Someone won the career Grand Slam. It's a momentous day in the game of golf. Quite rightly, fans are going to be excited about that. He's captivating to watch. He's a great player. He plays with so much sort of style and charisma and flare."

The veteran - playing in his 20th Masters - displayed ample flare of his own in both his Thursday 65 and his final day rally of 66 that featured a staggering ten birdies, including a lengthy holed putt on the 18th to set a target that McIlroy ultimately dropped back to after missing an initial chance to win on the last.

Starting the day seven back of the Northern Irishman, Rose was left to rue a disappointing Saturday that demanded heroics to get back into contention, but there was rightful pride at the manner in which he responded within the theatre of a Masters Sunday.

"Today I hit a lot of quality shots under pressure, and I felt like I was getting stronger and stronger and stronger as the round was going on. I felt so good with my game, good with my emotions, and I'm super proud of that. Because you can't prepare for that. You can't practice for that. That's when you learn about yourself, and I'm still learning about myself."

Going back to 1998 when he was a teenage amateur at Royal Birkdale and finished fourth, Rose has contended on the grandest stages of his sport in four different decades.

The consummate professional whose charitable work alongside his wife Kate included launching The Rose Ladies Series for women professionals struggling for opportunities during the height of the pandemic, Rose's nature hides a gritty determination that saw him overcome the start to a career that brought with it 21 consecutive missed cuts before turning that around into a journey that carried him to the summit of the game.

While several of his contemporaries have taken the easy option in the autumn of their careers, Rose has retained his ambition, last summer making it through Final Qualifying at Burnham & Berrow to secure his spot in The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, where, in a manner not dissimilar to what he produced at Augusta, he willed himself into a runner-up position behind Xander Schauffele.

There will be books written about the 2025 Masters - and Justin Rose has earned his chapter within that tale, but hope remains that the former US Open and Olympic champion will once more be the main protagonist in a story of his own.