At 45 years old, Justin Rose is playing some of the best golf of his life. He almost won The Masters in 2025, pushing Rory McIlroy all the way to a playoff hole.
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Photo by Karl Anderson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
At 45 years old, Justin Rose is playing some of the best golf of his life.
He almost won The Masters in 2025, pushing Rory McIlroy all the way to a playoff hole. Rose then won the St. Jude Championship, played an instrumental role at the Ryder Cup, and then hit the ground running in 2026 with a win at Torrey Pines.
That victory moved him up to number three in the Official World Golf Rankings, leapfrogging his Ryder Cup partner Tommy Fleetwood. Only Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy are ranked above the Englishman.
One of the biggest challenges of playing in the twilight of your career is maintaining the motivation to compete week in, week out. It’s incredibly impressive to see Phil Mickelson continue to grind on LIV Golf at 55.
But Rose said he won’t be following the six-time major winner’s path, because there’s only one thing keeping him going.
Photo by Karl Anderson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
