
via Imago
Image Credit: IMAGO

via Imago
Image Credit: IMAGO
On the Sunday of the 2025 FedEx St Jude Championship, it will be 915 days since Justin Rose won his last PGA Tour title. After 54 holes, he is sitting just 1 stroke behind close friend and fellow Englishman, Tommy Fleetwood. He is also 1 stroke ahead of the world #1, Scottie Scheffler. There is a lot at stake for Rose as he tries to break his winless streak. And based on his response about how he felt the day went, he is certainly feeling the pressure.
After the conclusion of the third round, a reporter asked Justin about his performance on the Saturday of the 2025 FedEx St Jude Championship. The veteran golfer replied, “Probably fighting our own inner battles out there, I suppose. I felt like I got off to what I felt was like a great start. I felt like I played pretty flawless golf until the second shot at 9. Obviously Tommy had a tough second hole, third hole.”
Both he and Fleetwood experienced relatively tougher rounds. It was vastly different from how they performed in the first 36 holes. Up until the 8th hole, Rose had scored 4 birdies. However, the bogey on 9th on Saturday pushed him back a bit. He added 2 more bogeys to his score to finish with a 3-under 67 at the end of the round. This was the worst round for Rose in the entire tournament so far.
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He elaborated, “Then I felt like I struggled a little bit through the middle of the back nine, just kind of picking the wind felt difficult. Just didn’t kind of fall into the same rhythm that I had on the front. But made a good couple birdies coming in. Obviously 16, two great swings there.” As Rose confessed, the windy weather made it difficult for him to control the ball. The tournament had already faced a lot of weather issues, as the second round had to be suspended due to unplayable conditions.
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Coming back to the third round, Rose scored a bogey at the 14th, but made up for it with a birdie on the 16th. However, he experienced another wayward ride towards the end of the round. The veteran golfer said, “Unfortunately missed the fairway at 17, was left with nothing, but then the birdie for me on 18 with a two-shot swing with Tommy makes me walk off the golf course feeling like it was a good day’s work.”
The bogey at the 17th pushed Rose 2 strokes behind Fleetwood. However, he recovered again with a birdie on the 18th. That confirmed that the two Englishmen will play together again on Championship Sunday. Considering the great friendship they share on and off the course, it would be interesting to see them face off against each other while they also try to keep Scottie Scheffler, who’s in third place, away from the title.
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As Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose head into the final round battle, who would be more eager to win? Let’s take a look at what motivates the two English stars at TPC Southwind.
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Can Justin Rose finally break his winless streak, or will Fleetwood and Scheffler steal the show?
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Justin Rose vs. Tommy Fleetwood: The English battle on American soil
Only 1 stroke separates Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. And both will be quite eager to bag the win. For Rose, he would want to end his winless streak. The 45-year-old hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since February 2023. He would want to finally end that in Memphis this weekend. Considering the close finishes Rose has had this year, like the playoff loss to Rory McIlroy in the Masters Tournament, this would be the perfect way for him to end the season. Moreover, winning the St Jude Championship should get Rose into the top 6 of the Team Europe standings of the Ryder Cup as well. That would automatically qualify him for Bethpage. Not that his place in the team was ever questioned, but better to be safe than sorry.
For Fleetwood, it is about winning his first PGA Tour title. In the 7 years since the 34-year-old received his membership, he has never won on the Tour. He has come incredibly close to it, finishing a runner-up 6 times so far, but couldn’t turn that into a win. He has undoubtedly been incredibly consistent, but still hasn’t been able to get a result out of it. A win at the FedEx St Jude Championship to beat not only someone he looked up to in Rose, but also the world #1, Scheffler, would be a great way to begin his streak.
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Can Justin Rose finally break his winless streak, or will Fleetwood and Scheffler steal the show?