Justin Rose reminded everyone of his class again on Sunday, edging out J.J. Spaun in a playoff to take the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.
If there were any lingering questions about his place in the Ryder Cup squad for Bethpage this September, this win should put them to rest. The 45-year-old’s victory moved him up to fourth in the standings, with two playoff events still to come.
Early on, it looked like Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler were set to battle it out for the title. But Rose and Spaun played their way into contention, eventually meeting in a playoff.
The Briton finished the tournament at 16 under, with a strong close that included birdies on four of his last five holes. He then secured the win on the third playoff hole with another birdie.
Tommy Fleetwood reacts to Justin Rose’s win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship
Tommy Fleetwood was paired with Rose for the final round, and while it would have been tough to watch his friend hit top form again, he handled it well.
Fleetwood had nothing but praise for Rose after Sunday’s round.
“Yeah, he’s great, isn’t he. I love his dedication. I really do. I’ve always loved how he’s gone about the game. I’m an admirer of his career. I just happen to be very close to him, so I’m lucky that I get to spend a lot of time with him,” he said.
“Yeah, at 45 he’s not slowing down at all. He’s cracking on. He’s still very fit, very healthy, very motivated. I think, yeah, he’s a great person in golf to look up to.”
Justin Rose’s playoff record on the PGA Tour
This was Rose’s sixth trip to a playoff on the PGA Tour, but his track record in these situations has not always matched up with his talent.
He fell short when Rory McIlroy clinched his place in history at The Masters. That was not even his first playoff defeat at Augusta, having also lost out to Sergio Garcia eight years earlier.
The British golfer came up short again at The Memorial in 2015 and the BMW Championship three years later. His last playoff win before Sunday came a decade ago at the Quicken Loans National.
But right now, Rose is playing some of his best golf. He seems to have complete command of his game, and that showed as he managed to come out on top against one of this season’s standout players.
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