TROON, Scotland — The putt on the 72nd hole at Royal Troon disappeared into the hole on 18 from some 30 feet away for a rousing birdie finish in the chill and gloaming of a late Scottish Sunday afternoon.
Justin Rose took his hat off and raised it in celebration toward the gray sky as the fans cramming the huge grandstands on either side of the 18th green roared their passionate approval.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d have thought Rose won the 152nd British Open, and that he was going to be handed the Claret Jug a few minutes later as the “Champion Golfer of the Year,’’ the title graced upon the British Open champion.
The thing is, Rose finished in a tie for second place.
That, however, didn’t take away from the 43-year-old Englishman being a winner this week.
As much as you admire Xander Schauffele, the winner of the Claret Jug while playing alongside Rose in the second-to-last pairing of the day, it was difficult not to root for Rose, who put himself through qualifying to earn a spot in the field of the tournament he craves to win most.
“Two emotions,’’ Rose said, describing the moment on 18. “Gutted when I walked off the course. It hit me hard because I was so strong out there today. I really played the way I wanted to today. I got off on the front foot. I played my way right into the tournament, early doors. Felt comfortable with it all day.
“I left it all out there. That’s the deal I made with myself today — to come off with no regrets.’’
Asked about his reaction to the birdie putt on 18, Rose said, “Well, I won second place, I won prizes, FedExCup points, all that stuff too. At that point, you’re being a professional.
“Then,’’ he went on, “I walk 10 steps later, and I’m choking back tears. So, that’s the shift. Yeah, just personal, and enjoying 18 with the fans, too. I just think it’s such an amazing stage. For me, that’s the best look in golf, those two long grandstands that you walk down and the big yellow leaderboard. That’s what I associate as a magic moment.
“You want to walk off the golf course going, ‘Yeah, I didn’t squander that.’ ’’
Rose didn’t squander a damn thing on Sunday. He shot 67 in the final round of a difficult Open final round that ate up some of the best players in the world.
He was beaten by a player in Schauffele who has come into his own as perhaps the most complete player in the world, a player without a weakness, having won two of the four major championships this year.
He was edged out by a player in his prime who’s 13 years younger than he is.
“Justin is very conscious of his age, and I think that’s an inspiration for him,’’ Rose’s caddie Mark Fulcher said afterward.
Perhaps more importantly than any of the many attributes he possesses, Rose remains hungry despite having everything in life.
He’s won more than $66 million on the golf course and countless millions off of it. He has 11 wins, including one major championship, the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. And he’s enjoyed a career’s worth of Ryder Cup success.
Yet, Rose, who wasn’t qualified into the Open field on world ranking, went to a small course in England and put himself through the grind of qualifying to get in.
With all of the above-mentioned baubles in life, he didn’t need to do that.
Fulcher, though, vehemently disagreed.
“He had to do it, because this is his tournament,’’ Fulcher said. “He’s got an amazing fondness for the Masters, but there’s no question this is No. 1 in his heart. There was no question for him going out to qualify.’’
Rose has embraced the challenge. He, too, has proven that resilience is one of his finest attributes.
“I’m still hungry for it,’’ he said. “And this increases that hunger.’’
I covered Rose’s first Open appearance, when he was a 17-year-old amateur in 1998 playing at Royal Birkdale, where he stunned the golf world by finishing in a tie for fourth.
Rose turned pro shortly afterward and proceeded to miss his first 21 cuts. That can break the strongest of players. Rose persevered. Built an amazing career that’s given him almost everything … except for a Claret Jug.
Rose’s runner-up finish qualifies him into next year’s Open, at Royal Portrush. Until he’s no longer able to compete for that Claret Jug, Rose will doggedly continue his pursuit.
When he was asked if he feels “freedom’’ playing in the Open as he pursues his most cherished prize, Rose said, “No, I don’t think so. It’s probably harder because you want it more. It’s the inner battle, right? You want it, but you’ve got to not want it too much in order to not impede your performance.
“So, that’s always a dance that we do.’’
