Justin Thomas shares what he told Rory McIlroy in Amanda Balionis Masters chat

Justin Rose narrowly missed out on a Masters triumph in an exhilarating playoff with Rory McIlroy, yet his sportsmanship remained intact towards the champion from Northern Ireland. Throughout an enthralling final round, Rose was hot on McIlroy's heels and even managed to edge ahead briefly before McIlroy, 35, reclaimed the lead as they approached the last few holes. The tension heightened when McIlroy bogeyed the 18th, leaving him tied with Rose and setting the stage for an epic playoff showdown.

In a tense playoff finale, McIlroy delivered under pressure with a birdie putt that sealed his victory, marking the first Masters playoff win since 2017. Emotions ran high as McIlroy celebrated; Rose made sure to congratulate him before McIlroy shared heartfelt moments with his wife, Erica Stoll, and their daughter Poppy.

Reflecting on his near miss, Rose graciously discussed his immediate reaction to McIlroy's win during an interview with CBS Sports' Amanda Balionis, sharing what he told the new champion. "I just said, 'Listen, this is a historic moment in golf, isn't it?'" recounted Rose. "Someone that achieves a career grand slam. I just said to him it was pretty cool to be able to share that moment with him. Obviously, I wanted to be a bad guy today, but still, it's a momentous occasion for the game of golf."

McIlroy has etched his name in the annals of golf history by becoming only the sixth player ever to achieve a career Grand Slam, joining the ranks of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

Rose reflected on his near-miss: "I can take solace in being just one shot away from clinching his very first Green Jacket. Today was an unbelievable round of golf. This weekend, in fact. If I look back at yesterday, played unbelievable golf yesterday, and just the putter went stone cold on me.

"Today, just really began to feel that confidence come back with the putter, which was unbelievable, and ten birdies on a golf course that I thought was playing quite tricky, greens were firm and crusty and with that came a few mistakes here and there too.

"But to make that putt on 18, the one you dream about as a kid, to give myself a chance was an unbelievable feeling. I've obviously been in this position before, 2017, it's definitely tough, but I bounced back well from that and went on to be world No. 1 after that, so used it to my advantage.

"Last two majors I've played I've come up in second place, but it's exactly what I set out to do in my career at this stage, and I'm doing some really good work."

After clinching the coveted green jacket, an elated McIlroy described the feeling as "incredible", adding a Masters win to his impressive career achievements. "This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time, and I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that," he confessed.

"I'm sort of wondering what we're all going to talk about going into next year's Masters, but I'm just absolutely honoured and thrilled and I'm just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion."

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