Rose felt ‘fantastic’ in final round

Golfer Justin Rose found it hard to fault his performance in an unforgettable final round of the Masters, but admitted failing to secure a second major title was “going to sting”.

Rose and Sergio Garcia fought out a thrilling duel at Augusta National, with Rose overturning an early three-stroke deficit to lead by a shot after 16 holes, only to bogey the 17th and then fail to convert a birdie attempt from seven feet on the last.

That left Garcia with a chance to win his first major title at the 74th attempt, but his putt from five feet slid past the hole and meant the Ryder Cup team-mates finished tied on nine under par after closing rounds of 69.

The players returned to the 18th for a sudden-death play-off and Rose was unable to save par after pushing his drive into the trees, but Garcia fittingly finished the day in style by holing from 12 feet for a birdie.

“I would say this one is one that slipped by, for sure,” said the Olympic gold medallist, who was looking to become the first European player to win the Masters and US Open.

“I mean, I can’t pick holes in my performance. I felt fantastic out there. I felt cool, calm and collected.”

“Could I have made the putt on 17? Of course I could. But for the most part I’m not going to sit here and second-guess one or two shots. I really stepped up.

“I felt great. I felt in control. I felt positive. I felt confident.

“And barring a great comeback from Sergio, it was mine to cruise to the house. But it’s not always that easy.

“Before I won at Merion (in 2013) I said ‘you’re going to win majors and you’re going to lose majors, but you’ve got to be willing to lose them’. You’ve got to put yourself out there.

“You’ve got to hit the top of the leaderboard. There’s a lot of pressure out there and if you’re not willing to enjoy it, you’re not ready to win these tournaments. “I loved it out there.” Rose was two shots ahead when Garcia bogeyed the 10th and 11th, but the Spaniard saved par after an errant drive and penalty shot on the 13th.

Garcia then birdied the 14th and eagled the 15th, where Rose responded with a birdie to head to the 16th tee tied for the lead.

Both players hit superb tee shots and Rose converted from seven feet before Garcia missed his shorter attempt, but Rose was unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the 17th.

“It’s going to sting for sure,” the 36-year-old said.

“But this is a tournament I am going to win one day. I’d like to win three or four green jackets, but one would be enough.

“I’ve been in the last group a couple of times and shot 14 under when Jordan (Spieth) won. I feel really confident here, this my favourite tournament of the year.

“I have plenty more looks and I feel good about it happening.”

He added: “For me, golf is about April to September. That’s where the big tournaments are. That’s where the tournaments that change your career are. So this was the first one of four.

“I feel motivated for the summer and I will be moving on and setting goals very quickly after this.”

Picture: Getty. Missing out: Justin Rose.