- Run of late birdies sets up Rose’s victory in Memphis
- At 45 is oldest European to win on PGA Tour in modern era
Justin Rose produced a sensational finish at the FedEx St Jude Championship with six birdies in his last final eight holes to win a playoff against the US Open champion JJ Spaun.
The English golfer, who at 45 became the oldest European to win on the PGA Tour in the modern era, looked out of it after a bogey at the 12th dropped him to 12 under. That left Rose two off the pace with Tommy Fleetwood, the world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Spaun ahead of him.
But four birdies from the 14th catapulted Rose to the top of the leaderboard and he just missed a 13-foot putt at the last to win outright. He produced two more birdies in three playoff holes, one a clutch effort after Spaun had holed from distance, with the second from 14ft after Spaun was half that distance away proving decisive as his opponent’s attempt to extend the contest raced past.
“That was an amazing last 90 minutes. I never stopped believing,” Rose said. “I played unbelievable golf coming down the stretch and had so much fun with it. JJ dropped a bomb on me [at the second playoff hole], it was a lot of fun.
“When I bring my best I know I’m good enough to play against the best players in the world. This is going to be a fun one for us to celebrate.”
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