Justin Rose insists there is no extra pressure to avenge last year’s playoff loss at the Masters as he enters middling contention at Augusta National.
A year after losing to third-time Masters runner-up Rory McIlroy on the first hole of an overtime playoff, Rose is back in contention for another major victory after posting rounds of 70 and 69 in the first two rounds.
After a bogey-bogey opening round on Thursday, Rose said his past near-misses were “lessons for winning here”, with the Englishman mixing in five birdies and two bogeys to reach his early clubhouse goal on Friday.
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Justin Rose shot a 3-under 69 in the second round of the Masters.
“I’m very happy[to be in contention],” Rose told Sky Sports. It’s about staying on the leaderboard here, keeping dreaming and continuing to enjoy this great tournament. It’s like that.
“I don’t feel any extra pressure or expectations because of what happened last year. I always enjoy competing here. I enjoy the crowd and it feels like they’re pushing me and I’m using that as good energy.”
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Ahead of the 2026 Masters Tournament, three-time runner-up Justin Rose suggested he doesn’t owe Augusta anything
“Whenever I’m playing well, I tend to play controlled golf, and I’m pretty focused. The goal is just to keep it as free as possible. Don’t go too hard where it’s going to get in your way. You still have to keep it fun, light, aggressive, and keep it as loose as possible.”
The former world No. 1 recovered from a bogey on the opening hole to make four birdies in five holes starting with the seventh, and Rose capitalized on the par-5 15th at five under to cancel a three-putt on the 12th.
“I think we actually executed our game plan pretty well today,” Rose added. I know what happened last night in the last few holes and it was difficult for everyone. At that point (after the first five holes), things felt tough.
“I managed to hit a close with the 8-iron and made a good save on the 5. That calmed things down and I was able to really rebuild the round from there. I definitely missed some putts, but I felt like I played really well and I give myself credit for staying patient during important parts of the round.”
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Rory McIlroy led the pack with three consecutive birdies at the start of the second round.
Hutton goes from ‘headless’ to candidate
Fellow Brit Tyrrell Hatton climbed the leaderboard with a 6-under 66, making seven birdies before hitting his only bogey on the final par-4 to come into the weekend with another shot back.
Hatton, who had the worst round of his career at Augusta and described himself as “blank” after a bogey the day before, said: “I would have liked to have at least made a par at the end, but there were a lot of good things that happened today.” “It’s not easy to get seven birdies there.
Tyrrell Hatton competes for first major title
“I’m happy with how I played and I hope to play well this weekend as well. I don’t think I have the right mix of patience and positivity, but I’m going to do my best. If I can hit some good golf shots, that’s the best way to calm myself down.”
“I three-putted at the end, so obviously I haven’t learned enough about Augusta yet! This is my 10th time here, and I’ve gotten used to a lot of the tee shots, and I’ve been able to drive the ball pretty well the last few years. My iron play was better today, too.”
Schaeffler falls back with late bogey
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was expected to close in on the lead and entered the second round within three points of the leader, but on Friday he bogeyed both par-5s on the second and ninth with a 2-over 74.
“I felt like I was really challenged,” Scheffler said. “I played really well. I felt like I played much better today than my score.
Scottie Scheffler aims for third Masters win
“I got off to a slow start. I had some ups and downs early so I couldn’t convert. Then I fought back and got even, but I think it was 12 holes in.”
“Then the 13th fairway. It’s probably the only shot I’d want to hit again. Maybe I’d make a different decision there. It’s a tough shot, but I felt like I could make something happen with that pin.”
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