AP – 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, the 44-year-old Rose 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 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 Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners.
“When I have been playing well, I feel like I have been competing at a high level,” Rose said. “My consistency maybe has not been as high this year. But my good is good again. So I’m excited about that.”
Scheffler did his part in his bid to win a third Masters green jacket in four years, playing a bogey-free round of 68.
McIlroy, so desperate to win this major and complete the career Grand Slam, was right there with him until the end. He took a pair of double bogeys late in the afternoon with careless mistakes and had to settle for a 72. It was the seventh straight time he failed to break 70 in the opening round of the Masters.
He declined to speak to the media after his round.
Rose set one Masters record: The fifth time he has had at least a share of the 18-hole lead, breaking the mark held by Jack Nicklaus. The glaring difference, of course, is Nicklaus has six of those green jackets.
