Justin Rose’s wife, Kate Rose, had a viral moment with Masters champion Rory McIlroy after his triumphant victory last weekend — but the spouses haven’t even discussed it.
Kate, 44, shared a 13-second embrace with McIlroy, 35, after he defeated Justin, 44, in the first sudden death playoff hole at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, April 13. The hug was caught by CBS cameras and immediately went viral on social media.
When asked by reporters at the RBC Heritage on Thursday, April 17, if Justin and Kate had talked about the moment, Justin said, “No, not really.”
“There was some article somewhere [saying] like, ‘Who’s the mystery woman that was hugging Rory?’” Justin continued. “It turned out to be Kate. That was pretty funny.”
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Justin and Rory have a long friendship, competing together on Ryder Cup teams since 2012.
“Listen, I think in the moment you realize what it means to everybody involved,” Justin said of Kate and Rory’s hug. “You realize what it means to other families, what they must be feeling. You’re a part of the moment. You’re a part of the story. You’re a part of all of the energy that’s going on in that moment. I think that’s what happens.”
Justin added, “You embrace that connection that you have with everybody and all that’s going on in the moment.”
During the hug, Kate could be heard telling McIlroy she was “really happy for him.”
“I don’t think that was a discussion worthy of anything, to be honest,” Justin added.
Kate and Justin have been married since 2006 and share two children: son Leo, 16, and daughter Charlotte, 13.
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McIlroy has been married to his wife, Erica Stoll, since 2017 and they share a daughter, Poppy, 4. The couple did briefly split last year after McIlroy filed for divorce in May 2024, but the golfer rescinded his filing just one month later.
Kate and Stoll, 37, also shared a hug on the edge of the 18th green after McIlroy sank a putt to win the Masters. McIlroy became just the sixth golfer in history to win the career grand slam, securing victories at the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship.
“I gave it everything….,” Justin posted via X on Sunday evening. “Congratulations @McIlroyRory on winning the @TheMasters and completing the Grand Slam.. very cool sharing the green with you in that moment… Thank you Team 
as always for all the support during the week… We go again 
.”
