July 19, 1998, almost exactly 28 years ago, was an ordinary summer’s day in England. That is to say it was one on which glowering clouds were pierced by shafts of sunshine and rain showers. On this unremarkable day something remarkable was taking place in Lancashire, on the northwest coast of the country.
Late that afternoon, Justin Rose, a tall, pencil-thin amateur who looked years younger than 17, was standing over a 45-yard pitch on the 72nd hole of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Two days earlier, in the second round, he had startled the world of golf with a round of 66, capped by an eagle-birdie finish, that was better than any professional in the field and the lowest ever by an amateur in this event. And for a few dizzying moments in Saturday’s third round Rose led the Open.
Now he was assured of winning the silver medal for the event’s leading amateur, with Sergio García, his nearest rival, being far behind. Rose was battling with the tournament leaders and on the final hole, cool as you like, he lofted his pitch deftly over a guardian bunker and watched it roll into the hole for a birdie and a round of 69. He threw his hands up in the air in exultation.
“The gallery’s roar upset the peace of all of Western England,” recounted Mark McCormack’s annual almanac, “The World of Professional Golf.” Rose had completed the Open in 282 strokes, good enough to share fourth place with three professionals including Jim Furyk.
He had finished higher in the game’s oldest major championship than any amateur for 77 years. Rose’s prowess was accorded several minutes on that evening’s television news and featured on the front page of The Times newspaper in London the next morning. That night, Rose, his parents, Ken and Annie, and his sister, Margi, received a standing ovation when they walked into a restaurant in Southport.
A new golfing hero had arisen and perhaps the only person among the millions who watched it in person or on television not to be surprised was Rose himself. “There were times over the weekend when I began to feel more and more comfortable with the limelight,” Rose told Second Wind recently. “What I learned from that week was that I was good enough. I had the talent, I had the ability. It almost felt like I was playing carefree golf. There were times when I really felt I was going to win the tournament. It was crazy to think about.”
Nearly three decades on, Rose is 45 and preparing to compete once again in an Open at Royal Birkdale. He is one of the most accomplished players of his generation – a U.S. Open champion, an Olympic gold medalist and winner of 27 titles worldwide – despite having missed the cut in his first 21 starts as a professional. Perhaps more notably, after turning 40 he rededicated himself to his craft and has enjoyed a resurgence highlighted by two recent PGA Tour victories and a pair of near-misses at the Masters, where he lost in a playoff to Rory McIlroy in 2025 and finished only two strokes behind McIlroy this year.
What sets him apart? Conversations with Rose and those closest to him reveal a man with a relentlessly positive outlook who views setbacks as opportunities to improve and is willing to invest the time, effort and treasure required to remain among the world’s elite golfers as he approaches what is often a fallow time for professionals leading up to age 50.