Justin Rose chips in birdie at Augusta, moves within two shots of lead

Justin Rose did not need long to change the mood of his final round at Augusta National Golf Club. After missing the opening green, he chipped in for birdie at No. 1 on Sunday and jumped to nine-under par, a shot that immediately eased the tension around a closing round built on the weight of past near-misses.

The timing mattered as much as the score. Rose, 45, arrived at the 2026 Masters as a three-times runner-up still carrying the sting of losing last year’s tournament in a playoff, and the opening-hole birdie gave him an early foothold in the chase for a first green jacket. The shot also moved him within two shots of the lead early in the final round on April 12, 2026, turning his opening moments from a recovery test into a statement of intent.

For Rose, this was his 21st Masters, and Augusta has repeatedly drawn him into contention. He began the week with a 70 in the first round and followed with a 69 in the second, keeping himself on the leaderboard long enough to reach Sunday in position to matter. The chip-in on Sunday was the kind of improvisational answer that can settle a player’s nerves before the pressure of the back nine begins to build, especially in a major where every early birdie changes the scoreboard and the psychology around it.

That pressure was heightened by the way the rest of the field was lining up around him. The final pairing featured defending champion Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young, while other chasers were also making moves in a crowded leaderboard. Rose’s opening birdie reinforced the familiar Augusta storyline around his unfinished business and the question that followed him into Sunday: whether he was playing aggressively enough to seize the Masters before the tournament could slip back toward another familiar close.