Justin Rose took the fastest possible route to the cup Sunday at East Lake, delivering a highlight-reel moment in the final round of the Tour Championship.
The former U.S. Open champion authored one of the tournament’s signature shots on the 208-yard par-3 ninth, flushing a 6-iron straight at the pin and watching it vanish for a hole-in-one.
Rose’s tee shot came off the club at 141 mph and never required a putter. Once the ball dropped, the 45-year-old celebrated with fist pumps, a leap and hugs with his caddie as the East Lake crowd roared.
The ace lifted Rose from 6 under to 8 under for the tournament, injecting fresh energy into a final round that opened with Viktor Hovland holding a one-shot advantage over Ryan Gerard.
Rose had already positioned himself to make a move earlier in the week. He arrived at the Tour Championship as a 50/1 long-shot option highlighted and surged into contention Friday with a bogey-free 65.
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That round featured five birdies and left Rose at 7 under through 36 holes, three shots behind the lead at the time. He followed with a 69 Saturday before beginning Sunday at 8 under.
The ace added another memorable moment to a career that has included the 2013 U.S. Open, Olympic gold, a stint as world No. 1 and the 2018 FedEx Cup. The Post recently revisited Rose’s remarkable career and his breakout as a 17-year-old amateur at the 1998 Open Championship.
He may have entered Sunday needing plenty of help to capture another FedEx Cup.
For one hole, at least, Rose needed none at all.