TROON, Scotland — Here's a visual that highlights how well 43-year-old Justin Rose has been playing relative to the players around him, and it doesn't even tell the whole story. Pay attention to the number to the left of the players' names—that's their score after two rounds at the Open Championship:
That one lonely red number highlights his excellence against the adjacent tee times, but here's something even more impressive: In the first 25 groups on Friday, representing the players who teed off late on Thursday and early Friday, nine of 73 players finished the first 36 holes under par. That's a low percentage! But in the last 28 groups, exactly one of 83 players was under par at 7 p.m. Friday night. That one player—one!—was Rose. And he not only broke par, but he broke it comfortably, shooting three-under 69 to finish at five under, two shots off Shane Lowry's lead.
It's an astounding performance playing in what was clearly the much harder wave, and it propelled him to his best position through 36 holes at a major since the 2021 Masters. Rose, who had to qualify this year, has the second-most starts (21) of any player at the Open without a win (Adam Scott has 24). He has three top-10s here, but his only major victory came at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.
Rose seemed to enjoy every minute of it, right up to his final birdie putt on 18—a ridiculous 41-footer to tie Daniel Brown for second place.
"That was such a fun way to finish," he said. "Obviously, I celebrated, and there was the realization I didn't have to hit another shot, could really kind of let my guard down and enjoy the day because it was a really hardworking, good round of golf."
But when reporters tried to get him to think broadly about his place as an English golfer, and the nation's 32-year drought at the Open, he quickly demurred.
"No," he said. "I've got my own problems. We've got enough problems with football. I can't bring golf into it."
Rose made just a single bogey in two rounds, and his numbers across the board in strokes gained were excellent: eighth in driving, 21st in approach, 12th in putting. It was a comprehensive, intelligent two days of golf, and considering the difficulty he had in playing in the late wave, even more impressive than Lowry's very impressive 69 and seven-under total, which was accomplished in the easier half of the draw.
At a course in Royal Troon that is bedeviling and sometimes embarrassing the world's best players, Rose's experience and wisdom, combined with this terrific ball-striking, has him in prime position to fill the most glaring gap in his resume. Winning an Open would complete a journey that began in his very first foray at this championship, when he won the silver medal as the low amateur all the way back in 1998, and seemed to be the man who would eventually break that English drought.
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
MORE GOLF DIGEST BRITISH OPEN COVERAGE
British Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the British Open on TV and streaming
Power Rankings: Every player in the field at Royal Troon
Video: Every hole at Royal Troon
How hard can the 123-yard Postage Stamp hole really be? Our deep-dive explantion
Tiger Woods and when enough is enough
History of the claret jug: 152 years of triumphs, dents and lots of drinking
How Brian Harman (aka ‘The butcher of Hoylake’) beat the British tabloids
Rory McIlroy’s media blowoff reignites debate about obligation in the face of frustration
Links golf interactive: What shots you should play on a links course