Champion In Waiting

- Nick Bonfield

There are no certainties in this life, that we all know, but some things are tacitly more likely than others – England losing on penalties, train delays when you absolutely have to get somewhere on time and Augusta National’s azaleas blooming in April, to name but a few. At this point, Justin Rose winning The Masters has to be considered more likely than not.

That seems like a brash proclamation given the strength of the field each year, but Rose’s fabulous Masters form has coincided with a period in which the talent pool has deepened considerably. The 37-year-old made his Masters debut in 2003 and has competed 11 times subsequently. He’s never missed the cut and, impressively, he hasn’t finished outside the top 25 since 2008.

Since 2012, Rose has notched four top-ten finishes, including three in the last three years. In 2015, when Jordan Spieth won his first Major, the Englishman compiled a 72-hole total of 14-under-par. While he finished four behind Spieth – who tied Tiger Woods’ Masters scoring record – his score would have been enough to either win, or force a play-off in, 15 of the previous 17 Masters.