Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose wife Kate Rose
Rory McIlroy’s post-Masters victory walk as he greeted a long line of friends, family and supporters consisted of a long hug with an unexpected person.
About five minutes after McIlroy had sunk a putt to beat Justin Rose in a playoff and began his championship stroll, long after he had embraced with his wife, daughter and plenty of other important figures, he hugged with a woman for about 12 straight seconds.
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That woman was Kate Rose, the wife of Justin, who McIlroy had just went toe to toe with throughout the Masters and all the way up until the final stroke at Augusta National on Sunday.
Rory McIlroy and Kate Rose hug following McIlroy’s emotional playoff win over Justin Rose. The Masters
“I’m really, really happy for you,” Rose’s wife could be heard telling McIlroy while they shared the emotional moment.
McIlroy and the Rose family are no strangers, as McIlroy and Rose have been Ryder Cup teammates for many years and will likely run it back again later this year.
Rose and his wife were all class showing their love to a longtime friend like McIlroy — even after a gut-wrenching defeat.
Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose share a moment after the former bested the latter in a playoff to win the Masters. Getty Images
Justin Rose and his wife, Kate, leave the green after Justin finished second in the Masters. Grace Smith-Imagn Images
“I gave it everything,” Rose posted to X after the Masters concluded. “Congratulations [McIlroy] on winning [the Masters] and completing the Grand Slam. Very cool sharing the green with you in that moment.”
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The playoff loss was the second of Rose’s Masters career, as he also took things down to sudden-death in 2017 against Sergio García.
Rose was also the runner-up in the last major before the Masters, as he finished second in last year’s British Open to Xander Schauffele.
Justin Rose still had a lot to celebrate at the Masters with his runner-up finish. REUTERS
Still, Rose keeps his head held high.
“There’s no point in being too despondent about it, and you look at all the good stuff that got me into this situation. You can’t skip through a career without a little bit of heartache,” he said after finishing second at the Masters. “It’s going to happen. If you’re willing to lift the big championships, you’ve to put yourself on the line. You have to risk feeling this way to get the reverse. It all nets out.”
