An overnight break in the middle of his final round couldn’t stop Justin Rose at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Rose built a two-shot lead as play was suspended Sunday evening after weather delays plagued the third round of the tournament Saturday.
He came back out on Monday and picked up right he left off, making birdies on 11, 13 and 14 to build his lead to three. His final-round 66 put him at 18 under for his first PGA Tour win since 2019 and the 11th of his career.
2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am purse: Payout info, winner’s share in Monterey
His last win came at the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open when he was the No. 1 player in the world and the reigning FedEx Cup Champion.
“Time flies doesn’t it?” Rose said to CBS’ Amanda Renner after the round. “It’s amazing how long it’s been.”
The win also assures him a return to the Masters this year, which he had not yet qualified for. It’s also the first time since 2020 a player who made a hole-in-one during the week won the tournament. Rose made a hole-in-one at Spyglass Hill Friday.
The Englishman’s play had suffered in the past three seasons since that last victory, recording just seven top-10s and failing to advance past the first FedEx Cup Playoff event all three years.
But Sunday and Monday looked more like the player who won the 2013 U.S. Open and the 2016 Olympic Gold Medal. He quickly rebounded an opening bogey with a birdie at 2, then springboarded his round with an eagle-birdie run at 6 and 7.
His run early on the back nine as play restarted came as his closest chasers started Monday just as well as Rose did.
Brendon Todd came out of the suspension and nailed the seven-footer he left himself on 13 overnight to pull within one. He made another on 14, but Rose was making birdie putts left and right behind him.
Todd’s last gasp hopes ended when his tee shot at the famous par-5 18th struck the tree in the middle of the fairway, forcing him to lay up and settle for par. His 65 left him at 15 and a co-runner-up finish with Brandon Wu.
Rose’s win caps a wild week on the Monterey Peninsula as winds forced the suspension of play for much of the day Saturday, pushing the finish of the final round to Monday. The logistical issues were only compounded by the pro-am format of the event, requiring three courses for the first three rounds.
Rose himself was at the center of the delay Saturday when his ball slid across the 9th green at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in the high winds. But he said it was all part of the “beauty of the tournament.”
“You should only come and tee it up here this week if you’re willing to kind of have that attitude this week,” He told Renner. “There’s a lot going on. There’s amateurs, there’s the odd bounce on the greens or bobbly putts or forecast that doesn’t make sense. There’s a lot that can be thrown at you, but it’s a wonderful tournament. And I hope this tournament still continues to go from strength to strength because it offers something different to the rest of the schedule.”