Justin Rose Says It Was 'Very Cool' Being on the Green as Rory McIlroy Won Masters

Following Justin Rose's second-place finish at the Masters after a playoff hole loss to Rory McIlroy, Rose said it was "very cool" to share the green with the champion.

"I gave it everything..." Rose wrote. "Congratulations (Rory McIlroy) on winning the (The Masters) and completing the Grand Slam.. very cool sharing the green with you in that moment… Thank you Team [Rose] as always for all the support during the week… We go again."

The 44-year-old carded 10 birdies and four bogeys in the final round, parring the rest of the course. His six-under 66 on Sunday tied Hideki Matsuyama for the lowest round of the day, capping off a strong comeback after leading through the first two rounds before slipping with a third-round 75.

“I think I flipped the switch from yesterday,” Rose said afterward, per the Associated Press. “Yesterday, I was so angry coming off the course because I turned 69 into 75. I didn’t let that momentum seep into today. And I think that that was, from a professionalism point of view—very, very proud of that switch overnight and into this morning.”

“I hit a lot of quality shots under pressure, and I felt like I was getting stronger and stronger as the round was going on,” Rose said. “I felt so good with my game, good with my emotions, and I’m super proud of that. Because you can’t prepare for that. You can’t practice for that. That’s when you learn about yourself, and I’m still learning about myself.”

Battling back from Saturday, Rose forced a playoff with McIlroy after birdieing the 18th hole while McIlroy bogeyed. The two entered sudden death tied at 11-under.

Despite Rose’s best efforts, McIlroy birdied the playoff hole to take home the Green Jacket and become just the sixth golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam.

"This is a historic moment in golf, isn’t it? Someone who achieves the career grand slam,” Rose said. “I wanted to be the bad guy today, but still, it’s a momentous occasion for the game of golf.”

Rose has now endured back-to-back heartbreaking runner-up finishes at majors, following last year's loss at The Open Championship. He also previously finished second at The Masters in both 2015 and 2017.

Despite missing out on the coveted Green Jacket, Rose still walked away with a $2.27 million runner-up purse.