The 45-year-old Englishman Justin Rose, starting the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in the last group, birdied the long, downhill par-3 14th by sticking a “perfect” 6-iron to 15 feet and rolling it in. That hole had yielded just one birdie all day. That kick-started a four-hole birdie streak and set the tone for a closing charge that earned Rose his 12th PGA TOUR title in a playoff over U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished one back, as did Tommy Fleetwood, who began Sunday with a one-shot lead but saw his wait for a first TOUR win continue.
Six Birdies in His Last Eight Holes
Rose poured in birdies on 14, 15, 16, and 17, nearly making it five straight before his 13-footer on 18 slid by. In the playoff, he overcame an errant drive toward the water on the first hole, then matched Spaun’s 30-footer with a 7-foot birdie before sealing the win with a 12-footer after Spaun missed from 7 feet.
“That was an amazing last 90 minutes,” Rose said. “When it matters, I’ve still got it.”
A Resurgence Years in the Making
This victory caps a steady climb back toward the game’s elite for the 2018 FedExCup champion. Rose’s top finishes over the past two seasons have come in majors and big events — runner-up at The Open and Masters, top-10s in the PGA Championship and multiple Signature Events. A slight posture change has sharpened his ball-striking, and in Memphis, he ranked eighth in Strokes Gained: Approach (+5.7) and seventh in putting.
The win rockets Rose from 25th to fourth in the FedExCup standings, securing his first TOUR Championship berth since 2018 and making him a near lock for a seventh Ryder Cup. He’s also set to return to the world’s top 10 for the first time in five years — as the oldest player there by nearly a decade.
“I feel excited about where I’m at at 45,” Justin Rose said. “There’s a good bit of runway ahead.” On Sunday, he proved that the runway still includes taking down the best players in the world.
