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TRON, Scotland: England’s Justin Rose admitted he was “devastated” as he walked off the 18th green at Royal Troon on Sunday after missing out on a first British Open title.
The 43-year-old barely made a mistake over the four days, despite being battered by some of the worst weather conditions on the Ayrshire coast.
He was atop the leaderboard several times during Sunday’s final round, but a birdie on the 18th hole meant nothing as his calm American partner Xander Schauffele shot a perfect 65 to win by two shots.
Rose, a former U.S. Open champion, dropped just five shots all weekend, showing he is still capable of challenging for a major despite having to qualify this year.
“I was really sad when I walked off the golf course because I played so strong today,” Rose told reporters after his second Open runner-up finish. Rose was highly focused throughout the day but missed several birdie putts.
“I won second place, I won points, I won trophies, FedEx Cup points, all that stuff. At that point, you’re a pro. And then I took 10 steps and I couldn’t stop crying. That was the transformation.”
In 1998, at the age of 17, Ross won fourth place in the Open Championship as an amateur and became famous overnight.
He won the 2013 U.S. Open and is on track to become the first Englishman to win the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992.
“I played the way I wanted to today. I had the upper hand early on. I played my style from the beginning to get to the final of the tournament,” Rose said. “Hit a lot of good shots on the golf course today.
“The middle of the back nine was a key moment in terms of momentum. Obviously, Xander came out with his game. I hit a couple really good putts that didn’t fall in, and then all of a sudden the lead was bigger. I just gave it my all. I’m really proud of the way I played.”
Rose, a regular on Europe’s Ryder Cup team in six appearances, praised the mental state of the 30-year-old Schauffele, who followed up his win at the PGA Championship in May with a British Open title.
“He obviously understands now that it’s easy to win. He’s got a lot of strength, he’s good with the wedge, he putters well, he can hit the ball far and obviously he’s very strong with the irons,” Rose said.
“He has a lot of weapons, but I think one of the most underappreciated weapons is his mentality. He’s a very calm guy. He does make the game look very easy.”
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