As the 2026 Masters Tournament was nearing its final hours, Justin Rose had taken a surprising 2-stroke lead over the field. Neither of the 54-hole winners, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young, was able to close the gap for a few holes. However, after a couple of errors, he lost control of the situation and could never rise back to the top. Probably still disappointed about missing out on another Green Jacket, Rose has decided to quit the Signature event this week.
As confirmed by various sources, “Justin Rose a WD from RBC Heritage. Michael Thorbjornsen replaces him in the field.”
This comes as a huge surprise for those who have followed his career over the last few years. Rose hasn’t skipped the RBC Heritage for three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025. Even after his first defeat to McIlroy in last year’s Masters Tournament, he still had the motivation to play the following week. And back then, he was closer to the Irishman than he was this year.
That said, it still isn’t confirmed why he decided to exit the event. The trip to Augusta National was certainly quite stressful last week for Rose. And considering how professional he is, it’s unlike him to act solely on emotions. So the Englishman’s withdrawal might be due to reasons other than a disappointing loss in Georgia. But you never know.
Either way, as confirmed, Michael Thorbjornsen will be taking his place on the field. Rose might return to action the following week. While his commitment is not confirmed, he was featured in a post of the inaugural edition of the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral.
Justin Rose a WD from RBC Heritage.
Michael Thorbjornsen replaces him in the field.
— Underdog Golf (@UnderdogGolf) April 13, 2026
That said, Rose did try to avoid heartbreak this year. While he may not have won, he did correct one mistake in his game.
Justin Rose’s best efforts failed to help him finally claim the Green Jacket
Interestingly, Justin Rose got special training to ensure that he grabs every opportunity he gets at Augusta National this year. Last year in the playoffs, he struggled to make the final putt, which would have tied him with McIlroy and extended it to another hole. This year, the Englishman tried to correct that mistake by improving his putting.
His coach noticed that his forearm sometimes twisted when he was swinging for the putt. Iona Stephen confirmed that they were using a special gear on the green to help him get used to avoiding that issue. And Rose was working hard during practice days to perfect it.
Unfortunately, putting is what lost him the tournament on Sunday. He missed quite a few easy putts in the back 9 to score three bogeys. That pushed him out of contention on the leaderboard. Looks like he and his team will need to get back to the drawing board to see what went wrong there.
