AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose did more than just match his best score at the Masters.
With a round that was nearly nine shots better than the field’s average Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, the 44-year-old Englishman managed to steal the spotlight from the Masters dominance of Scottie Scheffler and the endless quest of Rory McIlroy to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rose felt his 7-under-par 65 had the potential to be something special. And even with a bogey on the final hole, it was every bit of that.
He opened with three straight birdies. He ran off three in a row around the turn. And he wound up with a three-shot lead over the top-ranked Scheffler — seeking his third green jacket in four years — Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and Canada’s Corey Conners.
“When I have been playing well, I feel like I have been competing at a high level,” said Rose, who won the 2013 U.S. Open and has finished tied for third or better at all four majors over the course of his career. “My consistency maybe has not been as high this year. But my good is good again. So I’m excited about that.”