Justin Rose To Play Final Round of FedEx St. Jude Championship With a Friend in What He Calls Unfamiliar Territory originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It’s been two and a half years since the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am when Justin Rose last lifted a trophy on the PGA Tour. Since then, the most iconic moment we’ve seen him part of was as the bridesmaid to Rory McIlroy’s breathtaking playoff win to complete the career grand slam against the Englishman at The Masters in April.
That Sunday will be remembered by many golf fans for the triumphant reaction from McIlroy on the 18th hole in the playoff as his clinching birdie putt finally launched him into golf immortality.
But it’s easy to forget how Rose, 45, summoned his very best golf when he desperately needed it to even force that Masters Sunday playoff. The emotions of his 6-under 66 capped with a must-make birdie on the 72nd hole hit a crescendo when he pointed up to the sky to honor his late father Ken as he left the final green before his playoff with McIlroy.
The 2013 U.S. Open champ now plays in the last pairing for the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship with his good friend and long-time Ryder Cup Europe teammate Tommy Fleetwood.
Rose was asked by the media after his third round on Saturday what he thought of playing with a friend like Fleetwood in a final pairing.
“I haven't done it many times, to be honest with you. Yeah… there’s a lot at stake,” Rose said. “If you win, clearly tons at stake. Whatever happens, either of us is going to have to just hang in there, keep having as best a day as we possibly can because there's just lots to play for.”
Rose has produced an up and down year with missed cuts in the PGA Championship and U.S. Open after his memorable Masters run, though he rebounded nicely with sixth place finish at the Genesis Scottish Open and a tie for 16th at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush last month. But to end this season with a victory would certainly help toward the grind he’s put into it.
“We want to come out and win. We want to come out and play great. That's objective A. But if you've got to resort to plan B, we'll be out there, we'll be playing in good spirits, we'll be having our heads down, work as hard as we can, shake hands and give each other a hug on 18,” Rose said.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
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