What Gary Player wanted to see happen to Justin Rose after his behavior at the Masters in 2017

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Justin Rose has come agonisingly close to winning The Masters on two separate occasions.

Rose has lost in two playoffs at Augusta National – once earlier this year to Rory McIlroy when the Northern Irishman won The Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, and once back in 2017 when Sergio Garcia got the better of him.

And it was that defeat to Garcia eight years ago that made Gary Player stand up and take notice of the Englishman.

The 2013 US Open champion has evolved into a world-class player since his early days as a professional when he simply couldn’t make a cut, 21 times in a row in fact.

He has undoubtedly been one of the best and most consistent players over the past two decades and he is about to be part of his seventh Ryder Cup team.

Rose’s mind is firmly on the Ryder Cup right now, with just 10 days to go until the 45th edition of the event begins at Bethpage Black.

After his 2025 season ended, Rose admitted that he was delighted with his form on the PGA Tour over the past seven or eight months.

Team Europe will need all of the 45-year-old’s experience, nous and know-how if they are to bring the Ryder Cup trophy back home with them.

All of that experience has been garnered through some memorable wins, and some really hard-hitting defeats.

What Gary Player wanted to see happen to Justin Rose after his behavior at the Masters

Augusta National is clearly a golf course that suits Rose down to the ground, and if anyone is deserving of a green jacket, he is.

As Player highlighted back in 2017, the Englishman has never approached any situation before, during or after a tournament with anything other than incredible grace and honor.

Player had huge success himself at Augusta, with three green jackets to his name, so he knows how fulfilling winning the Masters is, and with two runner-up finishes to his name, he is aware of how disappointing it is to lose out as well.

Back in 2017, Player spoke to reporters about Rose’s heartbreaking defeat to Garcia at the Masters.

When he was asked who he’d like to see win the US Open at Erin Hills, Player opened up on his admiration for the Englishman.

He said: “I would like to see Justin Rose win because of the way he behaved when he lost the Masters. He had a wonderful chance to win and he let it slip.

“But he behaved so well and was a great example to young people all over the world. I always pull for the gentleman, and I would like to see him being rewarded for his great behaviour.“

Those comments from Player about Rose are not surprising in the least. The man from Hampshire in England proved once again at the 2025 Masters how much grace he has in defeat, when McIlroy pipped him to the title.

Justin Rose’s comments on the US Ryder Cup team were a big shock

What Player said about Rose in 2017 proved just how highly revered the Englishman was in the game, and still is of course.

Considering his experience, it was surprising to hear him stoke the fire with the Americans by suggesting their team ethic is more ‘man-made’ so to speak, rather than the organic bond with which the European players share.

“I think America have tried too hard to become a team, whereas Europe is a bit more natural and organic, and I think it comes from deeper roots in a way,“ Rose explained. “I think the Americans have gotten a little bit… they think being a great team is about being best mates. I really don’t think that’s what being a great team is. Being a great team is having a kind of a real good theme and having an identity that has come from players before you, and you all buy into that vision.”

Rose has always been nothing other than a consummate professional and a true gentleman during his time in the game, but those remarks were slightly naive in my opinion. He has basically just done Keegan Bradley‘s team-talk for him, hasn’t he?

Rose commenting about the US Ryder Cup team seemed completely out of character, unless it was a deliberate ploy, of course.

We all know how highly respected he is in the game and that’s why his comments about Team USA were so surprising.

If anything, they were unnecessarily antagonistic. As if winning at Bethpage wasn’t a hard enough task already!