If you were in a loud bar on Sunday, didn’t know the scores in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and looked up just as Justin Rose made eagle on the famed 18th hole, you’d have thought the Englishman had won his second major.
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That’s how animated Rose was after making an eagle 3 to close out the tournament and vault into what turned out to be a three-way tie for third, three shots behind winner Rory McIlroy. As his ball rolled into the hole, Rose threw his right fist into the air and let out a yell. He stuck out his tongue and snapped his fingers. Playing partner Cam Davis walked over to congratulate him.
Why was it bigger than your average pro eagle? Let us count the ways.
• It was Pebble Beach. Duh. And the 18th is one of the most iconic finishing holes in the game.
• Rose began that day within striking distance of his second win in three years at Pebble Beach, but he faltered in the middle of the round with bogeys at 8 and 10 and arrived at the 18th with no chance to catch McIlroy. He did, however, have a ton of FedEx Cup points and money to gain by moving up the leaderboard in this $20 million signature event. There was a lot on the line even if Rose wasn’t going to lift the trophy.
• The shot Rose played. In the fairway, 61 feet short of the flagstick in two shots, the 44-year-old was seemingly between putter and wedge. And in what seems like an extremely rare decision these days (though Tiger Woods did it quite a bit in his prime), Rose chose a fairway wood to essentially putt the ball. “Interesting club choice,” CBS’s Trevor Immelmann said as Rose struck the ball.
No putter needed!
Justin Rose jumps to T2 with an eagle at the last. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4A19BsgN7C
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) February 2, 2025
Of course, the six-time Ryder Cupper is a child of links golf, so if anybody knew how to play the shot it was Rose. A cheeky play, his countrymen would say. And then Rose’s ball never strayed from the cup’s center line before diving in.
“Goodness gracious!” Jim Nantz exclaimed.
“So really exciting finish,” Rose said afterward, “being able to make eagle on 18 and move my way up to a pretty high finish.”
The extra cash earned among the strong closers is eye-popping.
When Shane Lowry made a birdie in the last group to finish solo second, the Irishman made a check of $2.16 million, or $666,667 more than if he’d tied for second. With their joint third, Rose and Glover (who birdied the last two holes) each made $1.16 million. And what was Rose’s eagle worth compared to birdie? $635,000.
Now, that’s a reason to celebrate.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
