JUSTIN ROSE SHOWS TRUE COLOURS WITH XANDER SCHAUFFELE MESSAGE AFTER THRILLING OPEN FINAL DAY

Justin Rose paid a classy gesture to Xander Schauffele after his Open Championship dream came to an end on a thrilling final day at Royal Troon.

The 43-year-old enjoyed a fantastic start to put himself right in contention for the Claret Jug by playing the front of the course in three-under. But his hopes of winning The Open for the first time slipped away as he found himself one-over through five holes on the back nine.

Rose eventually finished tied for second with Billy Horschel with Schauffele winning by two shots after carding a superb six-under-par 65 in the final round in Scotland.

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It is the American's second major of the year but more disappointment for Rose whose wait to win his home competition goes on. But he showed his true colours by hailing the eventual champion, who overcame a packed field and tricky conditions at Troon.

"When I walked off the course it hit me. The dream's been alive all week and I felt that I did an awesome job of coming out and really getting amongst it from the word go," he said.

"I got off to a strong start and felt like I played my way into the tournament. I saw glimpses of my name at the top of the leaderboard at times, did some of the hard work on the back nine but Xander got that momentum.

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"He's an ice cold competitor and one of the best players in the world and it was tough to keep up. This will be a tough one but a great one. I played in some of the hardest weather all week. I played some of the best golf but it didn't quite add up to the trophy."

Rose also stopped to sign autographs for fans on his way off the course while Schauffele revealed he got motivation for his victory by watching the epic final day showdown between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson in 2016. And he could not wait to celebrate with the iconic trophy.

"I can't wait to drink out of it. My dad's here so I'll let him do the honours of choosing," he said after claiming victory.

"It really is a dream come true to be holding it. It definitely hasn't sunk in yet. My brain is still grinding on this amazing property. I can't wait to sit back and have a moment with this Claret Jug."

2024-07-21T18:38:10Z