Max Homa has heaped praise on Justin Rose and revealed what he finds so inspiring about the Englishman as he contended for The Masters title once again on Sunday.
It proved to be so near yet so far once again for Rose at Augusta National. The 45-year-old looked to have the title within his grasp around the turn during the final round.
Few will ever forget how Rose played 12 months ago to force his way into the playoff with Rory McIlroy. It seemed that he was destined to put his foot down in a similar manner this year.
Max Homa lauds Justin Rose after another outstanding Masters performance
Unfortunately, Rose’s momentum stalled as he made bogeys on 11 and 12. Meanwhile, McIlroy was able to take charge of the tournament with some superb play through Amen Corner.
Nevertheless, Rose has plenty of reason to believe that the elusive Masters victory is still possible during his career. Of course, he won on the PGA Tour earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open.
He continues to perform at such a high level in an era where many players seem to be peaking around their 30th birthday.
So it is no surprise that Max Homa was full of praise for Rose as he was asked what he admires most about the veteran.
“Yeah, I think when I was growing up, my muses were the Tigers and the Phils and those guys, Rory, Rickie, all the guys kind of before me that were top in the world. Not to say they’re not, but I’ve definitely taken more of a liking to watching people like Adam Scott, Billy Horschel and Justin Rose. Their work ethic is incredible and they have sustained such excellence for so long and continue to,” he said.
“They’re very inspiring. As someone, myself, I have never reached the mountaintop, but I plan on doing this competitively for a while. It’s nice to see that it’s a possibility, especially with kind of the ups and downs I’ve had. I’ve really looked to them and admired a lot of what they’ve done, more so in the last couple years, just looking at, again, how they continue to do this.
“It’s difficult. You’re tired and you have a lot of scar tissue, but those three guys are amazing.”
Justin Rose’s work-rate continues to amaze his peers
It is remarkable to think that Rose did not even make the European team for the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
It would have been tempting to join his friends and subsequently move to LIV Golf the following year. But Rose decided that he had plenty more to achieve on the PGA Tour.
He is clearly as hungry as ever, with Homa suggesting that he has been so impressed by how hard the 2013 US Open champion continues to work.
“Keep working. I think that’s an easy thing to say but a hard thing to do. I think as you get beat down more and more, it’s very easy to say I just don’t want to do this today,” he said.
“I think there’s a big skill in showing up, and I think that’s an important quality that they have. They’re obviously tremendous golfers, but you go watch Adam, Justin and Billy in a gym, and it’s pretty amazing, especially with all these young kids coming in. They’re incredible at showing up.”
It would feel like a travesty at this stage if Rose did not win The Masters at some stage in his career.
However, it would be incredibly naive to think that he will not give himself at least one more shot at Augusta glory in the years to come.
