Justin Rose’s Major Quest: Why 2026 Might Finally Be His Year

I’ve been covering professional golf for 35 years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that timing in this game is everything. You can have all the talent in the world, but if the stars don’t align—if the course doesn’t fit your eye, if your body cooperates, if Lady Luck decides to smile your way—well, you go home empty-handed. Justin Rose’s stunning seven-shot victory at Torrey Pines last weekend wasn’t just about besting Tiger Woods’ scoring record at that clifftop California gem. It was a statement. At 45 years old, with one major championship to his name and five runner-up finishes that still sting, Rose is telling us he’s not done chasing history.

What strikes me most about Rose’s performance isn’t the dominant margin of victory—though shooting 62-65-68-70 to break Tiger’s 22-under mark is seriously impressive. It’s the mental clarity he’s brought to his major championship pursuit. Too many players in their 40s allow regret to calcify into resignation. Rose has done the opposite. He’s channeling the disappointment into fuel.

A Player Who Learns From Heartbreak

Having caddied in the ’90s, I learned that the best players are the ones who convert near-misses into future wins. Rose has had plenty of opportunities to learn this lesson. Five runner-up finishes in majors would break most players psychologically. But listen to what Rose said at Torrey Pines: “If you think about some of the results I’ve had in the last year or 18 months, I’m not that far away so may as well keep believing.” That’s not the talk of a man looking backward. That’s someone squinting at the horizon.

The specificity of his losses also matters. He’s not getting lapped. At the 2025 Masters, he lost to Rory McIlroy at the first playoff hole after both finished at 11-under. In 2024’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, he was runner-up just two shots back despite having to grind through qualifying. These aren’t tales of a player whose game has abandoned him. These are heartbreak stories. Heartbreak, I’ve found, is often the best teacher.

The Masters: His Best Bet

If I had to pick one major where Rose’s chances are genuinely excellent, it’s Augusta National. His record there is superlative: a superb track record and four legitimate top-10 finishes in recent years. The bookmakers have him around 20/1 in some shops, which frankly seems generous for a player of his pedigree at a course where he clearly sees the angles.

The 2017 and 2025 disappointments cut deepest because he was in control both times. In ’17, he held a two-shot lead in the final round before losing that playoff to Sergio Garcia. Last year, he had his nose in front late on Sunday. Those weren’t flukes. Those were legitimate chances that slipped away. In my experience, players who get that close twice usually get it right the third time. The margin for error at Augusta narrows dramatically in April, and Rose has already proven he belongs in that conversation when the azaleas are blooming.

The Open at Royal Birkdale: Poetic Justice Awaits

Now here’s where the narrative gets genuinely interesting. The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026—the exact venue where Rose announced himself to the golf world as a 23-year-old amateur, finishing tied fourth in 1998. That was 28 years ago. Coming back as a two-time major winner (or more) and potentially winning it there would be storybook stuff.

The Open is historically kind to older players. Since 2011, four players in their 40s have won the Claret Jug. Rose fits that demographic perfectly now. More importantly, he’s been knocking on the door: tied second at Carnoustie in 2018 (two shots back), and joint runner-up at Royal Troon in 2024 (again, just two adrift).

“I’ve achieved a lot in the game, but I’ve achieved a lot of it just once. So I’ll take multiple of anything that I’ve achieved for sure would be great.”

That’s Rose acknowledging what many observers see: he’s not trying to win one more major. He’s trying to win multiple majors before his window closes.

The PGA Championship Wildcard

Here’s something most casual fans don’t realize: Rose has seven top-10 finishes in PGA Championships, matching his Masters haul. Yet he’s never seriously threatened to win one. His best is a tie for third in 2012, nine shots back. But 2026 changes the calculus entirely. The PGA heads to Aronimink in Pennsylvania—the course where Rose won the 2010 AT&T National and lost a playoff to Keegan Bradley in the 2018 BMW Championship. He knows this track. More significantly, since the PGA moved to May in 2019, he’s posted four top-10s in six editions. Suddenly, this looks like a genuine opportunity.

The Real Story Here

What makes Rose’s situation compelling isn’t just the statistics or the favorable venue pairings—though those matter. It’s that he’s arrived at an age where many players are mentally fading, yet he’s playing some of his best golf. The seven-shot win at Torrey Pines wasn’t a fluke. It was a statement from a player who’s refined his game and sharpened his mental approach.

I think 2026 is genuinely his year to add major number two. Maybe number three. The venues favor him, his recent record proves he’s not far away, and psychologically, he’s framing it correctly—not as desperation, but as unfinished business. In my three decades covering the tour, I’ve learned to trust players who keep believing when the math still works out in their favor. For Justin Rose, the math is working.