Amanda Balionis gave honest reality check to Justin Rose & Gary Woodland ahead of The 2024 Open championship

Before the 2024 Open Championship, golf reporter Amanda Balionis had a message for Justin Rose and Gary Woodland. The veteran golfers got called out by Balionis, who said it was time for them to prove to the world that they can still compete at a high level.

Balionis said on episode six of Full Swing Season 3:

"The Open Championship is the final Major of the year. This year is in Scotland, which means the weather is going to be unpredictable. The course is going to be difficult. And for Gary and Justin, it's their time to prove that they've still got it."

This was before the tournament, and it may have served as some motivation. Rose didn't win, but he was often in the lead and ended up finishing two strokes back of Xander Schauffele.

Woodland, like so many golfers, struggled. He shot nine over par and tied for 50. The course proved difficult at the tournament because the cut was made at five-over.

Only 30 golfers even finished at or better than that level throughout the entire tournament, and Woodland was not one of them. Rose was tied for second with Billy Horschel, but Woodland didn't get the same motivation from Balionis' message.

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Justin Rose fought back tears after nearly winning British Open

Justin Rose was one of the top contenders for the Open Championship title, but he fell short. He succumbed to Xander Schauffele's comeback as the American took home his second Major of the year.

Justin Rose lost the 2024 Open Championship (Image via Imagn)

Rose said he was "gutted" when he first left the course in second place. He said it hit him hard because he played so well overall but came up short. Via ESPN, Justin Rose said at the time that he had to change his perspective:

"I won second place, I won points, I won prizes, FedEx Cup points, all that stuff too. At that point, you're being a professional. Then I walk 10 steps later and I'm choking back tears. So that's the shift. Yeah, just personal, and enjoying 18 with the fans too. I just think it's such an amazing stage. For me, like, that's the best look in golf, those two long grandstands that you walk down and the big yellow leaderboard. That's what I associate as a magic moment."

Rose had had to qualify for the tournament by an external tournament as he'd fallen out of the OWGR top 50. He was considered a long shot to win it, but he almost proved everyone wrong. He said there was a critical moment on the back nine where Schauffele got momentum and never looked back, leading to Rose's eventual loss.