Ryder Cup

How good was that? Justin Rose's monster putt at Medinah

Words by
Josh Coles
How good was that? Justin Rose's monster putt at Medinah

Team Europe started the 2012 Sunday singles trailing the USA team by four points, a deficit that had been overturned just once in the history of the Ryder Cup. However, as Rose stood on the Par 3 17th tee box, 1 down to Phil Mickelson, Europe found themselves within touching distance.

The impossible now within reach, Rose knew he had to win the final two holes, “I remember walking onto the 17th tee and just forcing myself to stay aggressive”. With Mickelson nearly chipping in and safely securing the par, Rose faced a 50ft snaking putt he needed to hole for a chance at getting a point.

Hitting the putt with pace, the ball rolled at the cup, caught the left side and dropped. Rose, steely faced and fist clenched, lapped up the adoration from the spectators. He’d go onto win the 18th, tying the overall score and setting Europe up for the ‘Miracle of Medinah’.

How good was that monster putt? Shot Quality can tell us. A Shot Quality score of 0 denotes the worst possible outcome, 100 represents the expected score of the average tour player, and 200 represents statistical perfection, such as a hole in one or holing out from long distance.