Justin Rose

Almost 30 years on from being the leading amateur at Royal Birkdale, Justin Rose still has designs on turning his Silver Medal into gold.

The Englishman – then aged just 17 – announced himself on golf’s biggest stage with a spellbinding performance at The 127th Open in 1998, finishing in a tie for fourth place, just two strokes behind Champion Golfer Mark O’Meara.

It was one of the most remarkable achievements by an amateur in the long and storied history of The Open – and concluded with one of the Championship’s most famous hole-outs.

Rose has gone on to finish runner-up in The Open twice, at Carnoustie in 2018 and again at Royal Troon in 2024 when he was just two shots behind Xander Schauffele. His desire remains undiminished. Winning the Claret Jug is still very much his ambition.

“As soon as I walked off the [18th] green [in 2024] I actually started to get slightly emotional and start[ed] to feel tears well up,” said Rose.

“I sort of realised how close I was to [achieving] a childhood dream of winning The Open.

“It was hard. I did so much well that day, but clearly not quite enough. But the second-best score of the [final] day is something you can always be proud of. I gave a good account of myself.

“That’s the job now for me,” he continued. “To find the level where I keep creating the chances and keep having the right mindset on the Sunday to then hopefully have the things that fall into place.

“The stronger your skillset is the more chances you give yourself. The more opportunities you have to win, the more times something’s going to go your way when it counts. That’s the game.”

Rose – winner of the US Open in 2013 – has certainly been true to his mantra of late, claiming the Farmers Insurance Open by seven shots at Torrey Pines in January.

It was the latest stellar display by Rose, who was T16 at Royal Portrush last year, one of eight top-20 finishes he has produced in The Open.

A spectator when Greg Norman won the Claret Jug at Royal St George’s in 1993, his love affair with The Open began in earnest just two years later when he narrowly missed out on qualifying as a 14-year-old.

He made his way into the field for the first time at Royal Birkdale – the venue for this year's showpiece – in 1998, and put together a display for the ages.

Rose opened with a level-par 72 before setting pulses racing with a six-under 66 on the Friday. He stayed in the hunt on Saturday and then closed out the week with a three-under 69, rounding off with the most celebrated shot of his career, a hole-out from the rough on the 72nd hole.

“I can remember the feeling and I remember this overall bashful and kind of embarrassed ‘oh my goodness; what have I just done?’ kind of feeling,” said Rose, of his champagne moment.

“The noise was incredible. I remember it being loud and I think I’ve met pretty much everybody who was in the stands that day over the last 27 years!

“It was obviously incredibly special. What a way to finish. There were moments in the week – especially on Saturday – where I thought I was going to win the [Championship]. Golf felt easy. It was almost as if it didn’t matter where I hit the ball, I [felt as if I] was going to get it up-and-down.

“I was being swept along with this amazing support. It was a fairytale.”

In 1998, Rose created memories to cherish – not just for him, but for his friends and family too; none more so than his father, Ken.

“Really, up until I turned pro my dad coached me,” said Rose. “I guess for him it was a manifestation of all the hard work he’d put into me and my game.

“I’m sure as a parent, to see your child flourish like that on the biggest stage must have been an incredible feeling for him, and one I’m so grateful I was able to give him before he passed a few years later.

“I hope he enjoyed it because the success was as much his as it was mine.”