1 week Ago By Sam Frost
Justin Rose holds the 36-hole lead at The Masters, and he has an ace up his sleeve as he readies himself for a pivotal third round at Augusta National. Rose followed his sensational first-round 65 with a composed one-under-par 71 on Friday to set the clubhouse lead at eight-under-par, one shot clear of Bryson DeChambeau and two ahead of a resurgent Rory McIlroy. Canada's Corey Conners also holds a share of third place.
Augusta National is one of the most taxing tests in golf. Not only are its layout and green complexes mentally taxing, but the dramatic hills and elevation changes of the course take a significant physical toll. The 44-year-old – whose accomplishments include a U.
S. Open title, an Olympic gold medal, and a stint as world No. 1 – is prepared for the challenge.
In 2021, he bought an RV and tore apart the interior, replacing it with all the mod cons to aid him with life on tour. The vehicle includes hot and cold plunges, a steamed shower, an infrared sauna, and a few home comforts, including a coffee machine. Rose says the mobile recovery vehicle, which follows him to each tournament stateside, helps him stay young.
" "The whole reason for having it is, also, I live in England and play the PGA TOUR and so there's a lot of travel," Rose told reporters in the media center on Friday. "So how do I mitigate that extra load on my body to stay willing and able and capable enough to compete out here? "Anything I can do to mitigate the wear and tear on my body, especially as I get older. Obviously, I'm willing to invest in that.
Yeah, I think it's been very helpful." Rose has been determined to get every last drop from his fine career as he enters the twilight of his stay at the highest level. He made a late run into contention at the PGA Championship a year ago, and he followed it up with a second-place finish at The Open Championship, losing out only to an inspired Xander Schauffele at Royal Troon.
The Ryder Cup legend says those experiences have given him confidence that he can still win majors. He says he felt totally at ease while being in contention in 2024. "You know, sometimes you've just got to knock on the door," Rose said.
"I don't think I can do anything differently. On both those occasions, especially Valhalla, I actually made a run into contention there, which is great. "I got more and more comfortable as I got further and further up the leaderboard, too, which was really good for me to know because there had not been a ton of opportunity for the previous couple of years.
"And then, yeah, The Open Championship, very much the same thing. Given how much you dream about winning them, I felt remarkably comfortable in those situations. "That's what I've learned from those two things, and to sort of make it happen this weekend is, yeah, what is it? Like if it was a secret recipe, you'd know it by now.
But it's about just playing great golf. And I think the leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there. "So you're going to have to play great golf, and you're going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it.
It's as simple as that, really.".
