Justin Rose put the golfing world on notice last year at Augusta National.
The 45-year-old took Rory McIlroy to a playoff, when the Northern Irishman looked certain to be cruising to his first Green Jacket. That was the first sign that Rose wasn’t done winning on the big stage.
He went on to win the St. Jude Championship, played an important role in Europe’s Ryder Cup win in New York, and kicked off his 2026 season with a win at Torrey Pines.
Despite his best efforts to stay in the present, he can’t help but keep one eye on The Masters, as Rose hopes to avenge last season’s heartbreak. And prior to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he revealed that he’s considering adding a club to the bag, which he really could have used last year.
The club that Justin Rose thinks will help him win The Masters
Rose played well in every facet of his game around Augusta National to take McIlroy to a playoff, but if there was any area for improvement, it was off the tee. That’s why he’s considering utilizing a mini driver, popularized by his friend Tommy Fleetwood, to help him navigate the course.
He explained how he’s already preparing for the first major of the season: “To build my form and build my momentum and make sure I’m fit and ready and firing for sure, absolutely. That’s kind of what each week consumes you for sure.
“I think it’s not like every week’s a practice week for Augusta. I don’t think that’s a healthy mindset anyway because it builds Augusta too big in your head.
“When the moment comes, it’s probably not good for you. But you want to go in there with a healthy kind of balance of having it in the crosshairs, but making sure that all the other parts of your game have been honored through playing as hard as you can every week. Those good habits.
“Yeah, I feel like it does offer me a huge opportunity. I love the golf course. I’ve got great strategy. I think the way I’m driving the ball this year so far and the end of last year kind of gives me a little bit more opportunity there than it maybe has done in the past as well.
“I feel like I’ll look to reimplement maybe the mini driver going into Augusta as well. I feel like I got caught in between driver and three-wood quite a lot down the stretch on a few occasions. I feel like the mini driver could be a great opportunity off the tee that week.
“Yeah, definitely thinking about a few things as it relates to Augusta, but at the end of the day, yeah, you’ve still got to stand up, execute, and play well. Doesn’t matter how well you know a golf course; you’ve just got to go and be in a good frame of mind and execute on the week.”
The way Rose is driving the ball this season, he’s got every chance of keeping up with the likes of McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.
Justin Rose’s driving stats in 2026
To win at Augusta in 2026, you must hit it well off the tee. To some extent, you have to be able to stay within touching distance of the likes of McIlroy, while consistently finding the fairway.
In that regard, early signs are good for Rose this year. He’s gained strokes at every event since November with his play off the tee, making up 0.71 strokes on the field with his driver at Torrey Pines on the way to his Farmers Insurance Open victory.
He’s been among the better players on tour with his driving distance, which is a pleasant surprise for Rose at his age. Out of 182 players, he ranks 80th with an average distance of 308.7 yards.
If he can bring that form into Augusta National, then this could be the year that he wins his first Green Jacket.
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