Justin Rose - TENACIOUS!

AUG 10, 2025 - Justin Rose turned the FedEx St. Jude Championship into a late-Sunday thriller, delivering a comeback that felt equal parts skill, nerve, and pure stubbornness. Sitting three shots behind Tommy Fleetwood with just five holes left, Rose lit up the scoreboard with six birdies in his final eight holes, with four of them coming in a row from 14 through 17, to claw his way into a playoff.

The rally kicked off with a gutsy 6-iron over water on the par-3 14th, stopping 15 feet from the flag. Rose rolled that putt in, then rode the momentum like a man on a mission. Meanwhile, Fleetwood had the tournament in his grip until the closing stretch got the better of him, including an over-hit pitch at 16 for par, a bogey on 17, and a bunker drive on 18 that left him one shot shy of extra holes.

Enter J.J. Spaun, who had been quietly charging with a back-nine 65, capped by a clutch 20-footer on 17. In the playoff, both men matched scores through the first two holes, pars, then birdies, before Rose dropped an 11-foot birdie putt on the third hole. Spaun’s tying attempt slid by, and the trophy was Rose’s.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the 45-year-old. Sunday started with a three-putt bogey and even a water ball on the front nine. But Rose stayed calm, saving his best for when it mattered most. The win made him the oldest PGA Tour champion since Phil Mickelson in 2021 and vaulted him into the FedEx Cup top five, securing his first Tour Championship appearance since 2019.

For Rose, it’s another jewel in what he calls the “Indian summer” of his career where age, it seems, is only sharpening his edge.

5 FUN GOLFER FACTS ABOUT THE 2025 FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP

• This is ROSE'S 12th PGA win in his 442rd start at the age of 45 years, 0 months and 11 days

• This playoff is the 10th playoff of the season

• With the win, ROSE becomes the oldest winner so far this season, and the oldest winner since PHIL MICKELSON won back in 2021 at the age of 50; in fact ROSE is the first and only winner so far this year in his 40's - you can see more stats HERE

• While this is the 1st win this year for a player from England, ROSE still holds the honour of being the winningiest English player at 12; 2nd place belongs to NICK FALDO at 9 wins

• ROSE led the field with 26 total birdies on the week (followed by SCHEFFLER and FLEETWOOD at 23)

4 FUN GOLFER FACTS ABOUT JUSTIN ROSE

• In 2016, ROSE became Olympic golf's first champion since 1904 AND recorded the first-ever hole-in-one in Olympic history

• In 2017, Rose was knighted as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to golf

• ROSE co-founded Rose Design, a golf course design firm

• ROSE'S first 'pro' round was an an amateur at the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, where he pitched in on the last hole and ended with a T4, earning him the medal for leading amateur after which he turned professional the next day