Justin Rose is right in contention to win The Masters and after shooting a second round 71, the Englishman has passed comment on a number of his fellow competitors.
Rose carded a magnificent seven under par round on day one before going under again in round two to keep himself at the summit of the leaderboard.
The 2013 US Open winner has had a brilliant career and at 44, there was a feeling among some he might be past his best.
However, Rose has shown the world again he is still more than capable and in a Ryder Cup year, Rose is desperate to make the team once again.
And speaking ahead of the weekend at Augusta National and the names he’s up against, Rose had some words for the current and past generations.
Justin Rose makes point about Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas after round two of The Masters
Rose was speaking to the media after his opening round and was asked how he feels about going toe to toe with the juggernauts of the modern game at the weekend.
“Yeah, it does. Yeah, you know, that’s the company that I expect to keep, and that’s where I have tried to be my whole career. That’s where I’ve been for a lot of my career. So I’ve been a Top-10 player in the world for a decade or more. So yeah, this is nice to, obviously, yeah, be back in that mix, a hundred percent.
Moving the topic on though, Rose was then asked if he feels he’s part of a ‘generation’ of golfers, given when he was born.
And when answering the question, Rose suggested that popular American duo Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are two players who should be in their peak right now.
“Yeah, a little bit. I’d say me, Adam Scott, Sergio García are sort of regarded as a generation that have had longevity, still doing it, still competitive, still willing and able. Not many of us born in the ’80s are — well, ’79, ’80, I guess, Sergio, Adam and myself,” Rose continued.
“So yeah, you know, you look at that for sure, and then, yeah, of course, you know, all the young guys are coming up super, super quick, and there’s a new generation now.
“I’d say Jordan and Justin are in the peak of their career, I would say. They are not the young guys anymore. Whereas in the not-too-distant past they were the young bucks but now sort of the well-experienced or veterans out on tour, and there’s new guys coming up all the time.”
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have not quite lived up to the billing
It might seem outlandish to suggest that two players who have won five majors between them have not quite achieved what was expected but with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, you can make a case.
The American duo have not won on the PGA Tour between them since 2022 and that wait seems to be dragging on and on without a sign of stopping.
Both players will hope for big weekends at Augusta to put things right but they already look out of contention, barring some big scoring runs at the end of round two.
| Justin Thomas at the Masters | Final position |
| 2019 | T12 |
| 2020 | 4th |
| 2021 | T21 |
| 2022 | T8 |
| 2023 | CUT |
| 2024 | CUT |
| 2025 | T36 |
Spieth had won three majors by 2017 but has been nowhere near since really and given the form he showed between 15 and 17, he’d have expected to have more titles himself.
Likewise, Thomas has won two majors and did snag the 2022 PGA Championship but like Spieth, he’s not achieved nearly as much as he could have.
At 31, the pair have a chance to keep going and win plenty more majors in the future. But for now, as Rose says, they are hitting peak years and have to make it count.
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