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Justin Rose has flirted with winning The Masters before, and with his opening-round performance at Augusta National on Thursday, he's made an early case for being in the mix.
He shot a 2-under 70 to begin his latest quest for a first-ever Green Jacket, putting himself at sixth on the leaderboard. That had him in an intriguing tie with three others, including Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry, and two-time winner Scottie Scheffler.
The 45-year-old golf star had birdies on the second and third holes, with another on the eighth. Rose was at 4-under on the second nine and bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes to finish his day.
Several of Rose's outings at The Masters over the past 10 years had him on the cusp of his first-ever win at Augusta National, only to end in disappointment in the playoffs.
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Could that change this weekend? On Thursday afternoon, he took to his official X (formerly Twitter) to share several photos from his opening round, along with a strong message about contending for the top of the leaderboard.
"What's that old saying... It's not how you start it's how you finish! We go again tomorrow," he wrote, including a fist emoji for emphasis.
Among the images he shared were him crouching down to evaluate a shot, him seemingly pointing towards the crowd or something in the distance, and a wide-out shot of him on the course.
The social media post drew reactions from plenty of supportive golf fans, leaving their comments as he continues trying to overcome the Augusta National course.
"In the hunt, Rosie. Keep pushing. Pulling for you, Rosie!" one commenter wrote.
Another said, "Superb round Justin! Some unfortunate moments of change in conditions, that’s all. Supporting you all the way to Sunday!"
Others commented, "Nice playing Rosie, keep it up," and "Looking good out there and right in the mix mate."
He's yet to claim a Green Jacket at The Masters, but has certainly come extremely close several times, with two of his Masters performances decided in playoffs, leading to Rose losing to the event's winners.
Last year, Rose had a share of the first-round lead, one of his record five times doing so. The exciting finish saw him go against McIlroy in a sudden-death playoff. McIlroy claimed the Green Jacket with a birdie on the first playoff hole, leaving Rose in a tie for second.
At the 2017 Masters, Justin Rose had a sudden-death playoff against Sergio Garcia since both finished 72 holes at 9-under-par. He fell to a birdie by Garcia on the first playoff hole.
His outing on Thursday put him in a strong position to once again contend for a win, and he knows he'll need to continue with a strong performance in the coming days to have a legitimate shot at finally getting that Green Jacket.
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