The killer question hanging over Justin Rose after a record-breaking win

Dave Tindall 04 Feb 2026

Justin Rose (GBR) holds the trophy for winning the Farmers Insurance Open — Justin Rose: Can he win a second major?

“I still believe there’s good stuff in front of me,” said Justin Rose after scoring a record-breaking seven-shot victory in the Farmers Insurance Open last weekend.

Torrey Pines is the venue where Tiger Woods has won eight times and holds just about every record there is.

But Rose eclipsed one of Tiger’s landmarks at the clifftop course in California.

No-one had ever bettered Tiger’s winning score of 22-under but with rounds of 62-65-68-70, Rose beat it by a shot.

“Sorry T-dub, if you’re watching,” joked Rose, who added that he was “keenly aware” of Woods’ record.

Rose is now a two-time winner of the Farmers Insurance Open and has moved up to No.3 in the world golf rankings.

But one thing dominates the 45-year-old’s thinking with the clock ticking on his stellar career – winning another major.

Rose joined the club when landing the 2013 US Open at Merion but he’s suffered heartache in other majors, five times finishing as a runner-up.

Asked what goals he’s still chasing, Rose said at Torrey Pines: “Majors is where I have my attention, for sure.

“I’ve achieved a lot in the game, but I’ve achieved a lot of it just once. So I’ll take multiple of anything that I’ve achieved for sure would be great.

“If I look at my career, yeah, I’ve been really close to the Open, I’ve been really close to the Masters.

“The dream of winning all four was obviously the ultimate goal since I’ve been a kid but it seems a long way off to think that way.

“But if you think about some of the results I’ve had in the last year or 18 months, I’m not that far away so may as well keep believing.”

So what are Rose’s chances of adding a second major or more in 2026? We assess his chances.

The Masters

Rose has a superb record at Augusta National but his Masters career – so far – is also one of heartache. Rose had a back-nine run at the 2007 Masters before ending fifth and finished second in 2015 although a distant four shots back from Jordan Spieth.

But it’s the 2017 and 2025 Masters where the hurt runs deepest after he got to the brink but came up agonisingly short. In 2017, he held a two-shot lead in the final round before losing a playoff to good friend Sergio Garcia.

Last year, he again got his nose in front late on day four but once more had to play the bridesmaid after losing to Rory McIlroy at the first extra hole after both had finished at 11-under.

Many felt it was Rory’s destiny to win the Green Jacket but perhaps it’s Rose’s too. There would surely be no more deserved winner.

Verdict: Rose’s chances of finally being a Masters winner must be very good. The bookies have him around eighth to 10th in the betting, with some as short as 20/1.

PGA Championship

While it’s well known that Rose has been an elite performer at Augusta, few would guess that he’s had just as many top 10s (seven) in the PGA Championship as The Masters.

The difference is that he’s never really threatened to win one as even his best of tied third in 2012 left him nine back of McIlroy at Kiawah Island.

In his only other top five, the Englishman was six strokes adrift of Jason Day at Whistling Straits in 2015. But with four top 10s in the last six editions, this event gives him a genuine chance – and perhaps even more so than ever this year. In 2026, the tournament heads to Aronimink in Pennsylvania and that’s good news for Rose on two levels.

Firstly, Pennsylvania was where he won his only major to date, the 2013 US Open at Merion. Secondly, Rose boasts a superb record at Aronimink.

The course has staged just three PGA Tour events but Rose won the first of those, the 2010 AT&T National, and lost a play-off to Keegan Bradley in the most recent, the 2018 BMW Championship.

Verdict: Since the tournament moved to May (previously August) in 2019, Rose has thrived with four top 10s and a 13th in the last six PGAs. With an excellent record at Aronimink, he must be on the short-list.

US Open

Rose is a major winner thanks to his two-shot victory at Merion in 2013. In ultra-tough conditions, he took the title with an over-par score of +1.

This year, the US Open heads to Shinnecock which has twice played host this century. In the first of those, a then 23-year-old Rose had a bit of a nightmare, shooting 15-over to miss the cut by nine shots.

But in 2018 he opened 71-70 to sit fourth at halfway and was just a single stroke off the pace after 54 holes before finishing 10th. Rose’s second-best finish in the tournament is tied third at Pebble Beach in 2019 but, surprisingly, since then he’s missed the cut in five of the last six.

Verdict: His recent record in the event is poor but he has some positive memories of Shinnecock. Don’t rule it out.

Open Championship

Rose made his name in The Open when he famously finished tied fourth at Royal Birkdale in 1998 when still an amateur. Where is the tournament this year? Yep, Royal Birkdale.

For a while, Rose could make no further impact in the event, failing to crack the top 10 in his next 12 appearances. He finally managed tied sixth at St Andrews in 2015 and since then Rose has twice gone close to being crowned “the champion golfer of the year”. In 2018, he was tied second at Carnoustie, finishing just two back from winner Francesco Molinari.

And in 2024, he finished joint runner-up again having had to go through qualifying even to make it to Royal Troon. Rose had a piece of the lead in round four but eventually finished two adrift of Xander Schauffele.

Verdict: This is the best major for older players. Starting from 2011, four players in their 40s have lifted the Claret Jug so that bodes well for Rose.

Given that he made his name at Royal Birkdale as an amateur, it would be some wonderful symmetry if Rose could go back there as a pro 28 years later and win there as a pro.