AUGUSTA, Ga. — For some, Justin Rose will forever be the 17-year-old kid who nearly won The Open Championship way back in 1998. Boyish then and, 27 years later, boyish even now, Rose is still knocking on the door at major championships.
He opened Thursday’s Round 1 at the Masters by going birdie-birdie-birdie, leapfrogging everyone on the leaderboard — including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Five more birdies later, he’d carded a stellar 7-under 65 to hold a 3-stroke lead (with players still on the course) after 18 holes.
It’s familiar ground for Rose, who’s been a steady constant for two decades — always good, though never as great as maybe we expected him to be when he burst onto the scene at that ‘98 Open.