Justin Rose finds himself in contention at The Masters yet again as he enters the third day at Augusta National.
Rose sits on five-under after his first two rounds of the major championship, leaving him in a tie for fourth with Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood.
The trio are just one shot behind Sam Burns and Patrick Reed in T2, but seven shots behind leader Rory McIlroy.
Posting the biggest 36-hole lead in the history of The Masters, McIlroy is seeking to become just the fourth man to defend his title at Augusta.
He claimed his first green jacket this time last year with a playoff win over Rose, who has been feeling the love of the patrons at the iconic course.
Augusta National crowd ‘pulling’ for Justin Rose at The Masters
Speaking after his second round 69 at Augusta National, Rose told Sky Sports Golf: “Yeah very satisfying I suppose.
“It kind of gives you that… it’s kind of a continuation of being on the leaderboard here, keeping the dream alive and yeah, continuing to enjoy this great tournament really, that’s how it feels.
“I feel sort of no added expectation or pressure because of what happened last year. I just always enjoy competing here.
“And yeah I’m enjoying the crowd. The crowd seemed to be pulling for me as well out there. So using that as good energy, I suppose.”
The experienced PGA Tour star ranks T4 with his 10 birdies this week, while he’s carded 21 pars and five bogeys from his 36 holes.
Justin Rose has huge motivation to win The Masters
Rose is a veteran of The Masters, where he certainly deserves all the love from the crowd given his Augusta history.
He’ll be using that support as motivation to finally get over the line, with his painful near misses over the years certain to be providing further inspiration.
The Englishman came agonizingly close to clinching the green jacket in 2025, but was eventually outdone by the brilliance of McIlroy.
Remarkably, Rose also lost in a playoff at The Masters in 2017 to Sergio Garcia, while he finished T2 with Phil Mickelson back in 2015.
The 45-year-old icon is now making his 21st appearance at Augusta, and is seeking a second career major win following his 2013 US Open success.
He arguably has more motivation to succeed than any other player in contention right now, but that won’t make glory any easier.
Leader McIlroy is clearly playing with real freedom in Georgia, while the likes of Burns and Fleetwood have their sights set on a maiden major victory.
Read more:
Justin Rose shares what is so unusual about Augusta National this year
Tyrrell Hatton gives his verdict on the fans at Augusta National, ‘even if they dislike you’
Justin Rose’s admission about his caddie on Friday at The Masters, ‘I didn’t necessarily like it’
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