Justin Rose came painfully close to winning the Masters yet again. This time, it was not a runner-up finish, though. As the green jacket slipped through his fingers again, a wave of emotion followed. It must have hit him even harder to lose his consistency at a crucial moment. Yet, what remains isn’t sadness, but motivation to never lose hope, and Grant Horvat was right there to encourage him.

“I’m absolutely crushed. Haven’t rooted so hard for someone in a long time. Next year Rose!” Horvat commented on an Instagram post by Justin Rose – a carousel featuring his journey this year at Augusta National.

“I’ll just keep knocking on that 🚪 See you next year Augusta! Congratulations @rorymcilroy going back-to-back. Thank you for all the support #Team🌹,” Rose wrote in the caption.

Justin Rose finished T3 at the 2026 Masters, alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, and Cameron Young. At one point, though, after the first nine holes of the final round, he was leading the scoreboard.

Things shifted in the back nine in the final round. Rose hit three bogeys on holes 11, 12, and 17, and just one birdie on hole 15. His final score was 2-under 70, as he finished the regulation rounds at 10-under 278, two short of the winner Rory McIlroy and one short of Scottie Scheffler, who finished at 2.

This wasn’t the first time he had a close finish, though. The 2013 US Open champion has had 3 runner-up finishes in his 21 Masters starts. One of these came last year against McIlroy. Both of them finished 11-under 277 at the end of regulation rounds in 2025. However, the Northern Irishman beat him in the playoff on the 18th hole to complete his career Grand Slam.

Before that, the Englishman finished runner-up at the Masters in 2017 and 2015. In 2017, it was Sergio Garcia who defeated Rose in the playoff round after 9-under scores at the end of four rounds. And in 2015, Jordan Spieth had a comfortable 4-stroke lead over Rose and Phil Mickelson.

Rose became eligible to play in the 2026 Masters as he was in the top 12 and ties in 2025. And as Justin Rose wrote in the caption, he aims to keep coming back to Augusta National and try to win the first major of the season.

Amid the challenging times, Grant Horvat has shown his support for the 1x major winner, who had just finished shooting a video with Justin Rose for his YouTube channel ahead of the Masters.

“Grant Horvat challenges Justin Rose : 13x PGA Tour winner to an 18 hole golf match before the Masters!” read the description of the video, which has amassed over 1.7 million views on YouTube.

That said, Grant Horvat wasn’t the only one who shared an uplifting message for Justin Rose. His Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, also commented on Rose’s post.

“All class Rosey 👏,” Donald wrote.

While Justin Rose’s post reflects that he is not losing hope and is still motivated to win, he is skipping a $20 million Signature event right after his loss.

Justin Rose skips the RBC Heritage 2026

Justin Rose withdrew from the $20 million PGA Tour Signature Event, RBC Heritage, shortly after his T3 finish at the 2026 Masters. Michael Thorbjornsen, who was first in the waiting line, got to be part of the field upon his withdrawal.

This is the first time he will miss the event since 2023. He played it last year, too, despite a similar heartbreaking Masters loss to Rory McIlroy. Although it seems like the loss might have taken a toll on him, the exact reason for his withdrawal is unknown.

While it is not known how badly the Masters loss has affected him, Justin Rose is already aiming to be back at Augusta National next year. And Grant Horvat will certainly be cheering for him in 2027, too.