Justin Rose relates to tennis star Novak Djokovic as he takes on young players at the Open Championship

Justin Rose will be making his 23rd start at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush this week. The English golfer has time and again missed out on winning the Major in his 27-year-long career. While he aims to go past the second place and lift the Claret Jug this week, he banks on his experience and competitiveness to take on the young players in the field.

Rose has finished as a joint runner-up at the Open twice- in 2018 and 2024. He will look to build on his performance from last year and, at the Genesis Scottish Open, aim for a better finish this week. Being one of the veteran golfers in the field, the 44-year-old needs to keep up with his colleagues every step of the way.

During the pre-tournament press conference at Royal Portrush, Justin Rose was asked about tennis star Novak Djokovic having close misses not unlike Rose himself over the years to youngsters in the game. He shared how he was when he was 28 as a golfer, and compared how he has evolved.

"Obviously later in your career you're never quite sure how many chances are going to be left," said Rose while speaking about the challenges he or Djokovic faces.

He continued to speak about experiencing close calls, like the one he had at the 2025 Masters:

"Sometimes it hurts a little bit more possibly because yeah, you know that it's not getting any easier, to put it that way, and that's obviously what Novak is saying as well."

"Obviously he's still capable. He's still probably believing that he can find angles and ways to still battle out there and maybe get that 1 percent in a certain part of his game that might make a difference, and that's kind of what I believe in terms of what I'm trying to do," Rose added.

Justin Rose admitted he can bring his best and utilize his competitiveness. He also hopes to make the most of his 'near misses' at this stage of his career.

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What are Justin Rose's odds at the Open Championship?

Justin Rose at The 152nd Open in 2024 - Source: Getty

Justin Rose finished as the runner-up with Billy Horschel at Royal Troon last year. He will be playing for the second time at the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. In his last appearance at the venue in 2019, Rose finished at T20 with a 1-under final par score.

This week, Rose enters the Major with a +7500 odds to win the title. The 44-year-old will look to mould his experience at the golf course in his favour to finish higher this week.