It is said that a sport abandons you when you take a break from it. Fans have seen this with many golfers. Anthony Kim, for example, took a 12-month break before joining LIV Golf. And he struggled significantly in the Saudi-backed league. Nelly Korda, the former World No. 1, took a couple of months off because of her neck spasms. After coming back at the ongoing ANNIKA 2025, she was one over par 71 after Round 1. It looks like they lose touch, at least for some time, after taking a break. But that’s not true when you are Justin Rose.

Justin Rose last played in the 2025 Ryder Cup. Before that, he last participated in the PGA Championship. Despite a long nine-week hiatus from golf, his comeback at the DP World Tour Championship is nothing short of excellent.

“I don’t know. In some ways I’ve played amazing golf this week and there’s other elements of my game where I do feel super rusty. I think probably driven the ball fantastically so far. Iron play has been sharp. Putter probably not so much,” Justin Rose revealed when asked about the secret of coming back as if he never left.

This is not the first time Justin Rose has returned from an extended break.

In 2016, he took a break in October to rest and recover from an injury he suffered earlier that year. “Following an intense summer schedule and discussion with my team, I have decided to take the next eight weeks off for rest and recovery,” Rose stated back then.

He missed the British Open and the DP World Tour’s Play-Offs. But in those days, his comeback was not this strong.

On the DP World Tour, he played in the Hong Kong Open after the hiatus and finished T36. On the PGA Tour, he was back for the Hero World Challenge in December, but had to withdraw. But he started 2017 on a strong foot with a runner-up finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

This season, the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship winner’s last appearance on a DP World Tour event was in September 2025, when he played the PGA Championship. Before that, he played in 3 PGA Tour events in August. He even withdrew from the 2025 Truist Championship.

But despite such a long break, he is currently T2 on the leaderboard, alongside Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and others. They are all only three strokes behind the leader, Nicolai Hojgaard.

Justin Rose had a bogey-less Round 2, with 5 birdies on holes 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. As he said, his drives have been amazing. The longest drive he hit on Day 2 was 349 yards on hole 14. Besides that, he was able to precisely play the ball on the greens in par 3 holes. However, his putting had some issues.

On par 4 hole 3, his 2nd shot landed just 5 feet and 6 inches away from the hole. He hit it a little further but missed the birdie.

“Today was a weird day on the greens, again struggling to read them but then holed two really, really long ones, a 65-footer and maybe a 40-footer. So I guess it comes out in the wash a bit. Maybe that’s the bit, my irons are not quite — even though I’m scoring great and playing well, but hopefully over the weekend can get my irons on and around the greens a bit more,” Justin Rose reflected on the same.

The 65-footer putt he is talking about came on hole 6. It is a par 3 hole, where his tee shot landed 64 feet and 9 inches away from the hole. However, he was able to read it right and make the birdie. The 42 feet 10 inches putt was on hole 14. He hit a 349-yard tee shot before hitting it into the water beside the green. Taking a one-shot penalty, he hit the 4th stroke on the green and made the putt from there.

Although Justin Rose has not been a regular, he has had a good season overall, which could have helped him stay mentally positive and continue his game from where he left.

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Justin Rose’s strong 2025 season

Justin Rose played in 20 events this season. Four were majors, two were on the DP World Tour, and the remaining were on the PGA Tour. He won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, marking his 12th PGA Tour victory. It was an intense battle between him and JJ Spaun.

The two ended regulation rounds 16 under par, leaving behind Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood, who were T3 at 15 under par. Their tie forced a playoff on hole 18. They ended the first two playoff rounds with a tie with par 4 and then a birdie. In the 3rd round, Justin Rose made a birdie and won.

“An amazing last 90 minutes,” Rose exclaimed after his win.

Before that, Justin Rose finished runner-up at the 2025 Masters. Both Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose finished the regulation rounds at 11 under par. The Englishman was able to catch up to McIlroy because of his impressive last round of 6 under par. But the Northern Irishman took the win in the sudden-death playoff. Rose had a par 4 round, and McIlroy scored a birdie.

Besides that, Rose has had five top-10 finishes in the season and an overall stroke average of about 70.56. His driving distance averaged about 301.7 yards, ranked 98th on tour, with solid iron play but some struggles on greens.

All in all, he is facing issues on the green throughout the season. But at the DP World Tour Championship, he has managed to curb the damage with two long putts.