IT was the golfing duel that stopped the nation.
Shortly after midnight on April 14, Britain was gripped by the sight of two of its own scrapping for Green Jacket at Augusta.
After a back nine full of dramatic tension, finally completed a career Grand Slam by birdieing the first hole of a sudden-death play-off, sentencing to a FIFTH runners-up finish at a Major championship.
Afterwards, Englishman Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, and his wife Kate showered hugs on McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman had waited more than a decade to join golf’s immortals — Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen — by winning all four of golf’s crown jewels.
This afternoon, on McIlroy’s own turf at Portrush in Northern Ireland, these two men tee off at with their long-term ‘bromance’ in full bloom.
At a golf writers’ dinner on Tuesday, McIlroy wore his Green Jacket and was asked who he would like to lift the Claret Jug, if he could not do so himself.
And he replied: “With what Rosey and I went through at Augusta, how close he has been, I would love to see him get a second Major.
“He has won a Major, he has won an Olympic gold medal.
“But that second Major would validate what a great career he has had. That would be a great storyline. Hopefully it’s one of the Europeans — let’s keep it this side of the Atlantic.”;
Victory for Rose would certainly buck recent trends. No Englishman has lifted the Claret Jug since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992.
During this time 15 different Americans have prevailed, including last year’s winner Xander Schauffele — ahead of Rose, who tied for second.
But Rose, 44, knows ‘local hero’ McIlroy — who shot a course record 61 at Portrush at 16 — will take some beating.
Rose said: “Rory is a local hero around here and rightly so. He has been since he shot 61 here as a kid.
“The legend around him in these parts has been growing for a long, long time. He’s going to be incredibly well supported this week.
“I feel the pressure is off him this time around, compared to when The Open was last here in 2019 — because he’s got nothing more to prove. This would be the cherry on top. He’s in a good mindset.”;
Rose, who burst on to the scene by finishing fourth as a 17-year-old amateur at Birkdale in 1998, also lost a Masters play-off to Sergio Garcia in 2017.
He admits he is sick of finishing second in Majors but was not ‘devastated’ by the latest loss earlier this year, given McIlroy had blown a big lead only to roar back in the play-off.
Rose said: “When Rory was there over his three-footer to win, I was definitely thinking, ‘Oh, man, I’ve been here before watching the same story’. There was definitely a bit of deja vu.
“In 2017, I could almost imagine what it would be like to have won The Masters.
“But it was different this time around. I played great on the Sunday. I chased as hard as I could.
“So there was more pride in the performance. When you see all the outpouring from Rory, you understand how big the moment is and you wish that for yourself.
“But it wasn’t lost on me what a huge achievement that was for the game of golf, someone achieving a career Grand Slam.
“I was still able to be happy for Rory in that moment. It had been a long time coming for him. For how good he is, to have a decade of chances slip by.
“He hit two amazing shots in the play-off. I’d imagine he felt he’d have given it away. He probably felt he shouldn’t even be in a play-off.
“So for him to steady himself and to put two great swings on it when it mattered most — when you lose to that, you can walk out with your head held high and give your competitor a lot of praise.
“I don’t really feel like I had to get over it. I didn’t necessarily feel completely devastated. I didn’t feel that there was much baggage.”;
Rose admits he has felt the love of the public since congratulating McIlroy so warmly at Augusta — and says that dramatic finale whetted the appetite for Portrush.
He said: “I probably picked up a lot more followers and fans because of The Masters. I felt I reacted normally to Rory afterwards.
“It wasn’t a runaway win, someone made a run, someone was playing well, there was drama, a few bad shots, some great shots, and suddenly it culminated into this amazing story — and it was great to be a part of it.
“Feeling a part of that story has made people very excited about this tournament. I’m ready to move on because second is second, isn’t it? It’s a tough loss. But it’s more evidence that, when I get things right, I’m still competitive.”;
