The sting never really left, lingering about despite all good intentions to make it subside. Justin Rose said all the right things, tried to do all the right things in the aftermath of his playoff loss at the 2017 Masters to Sergio Garcia. Time may heal such wounds, but never completely makes them go away.
As he reflects on it now, with another Masters beckoning and Rose squarely among those touted to be wearing the winner's green jacket, he acknowledged getting over such a defeat proved difficult.
"It took away a little enthusiasm for a while,'' he said. "It's natural. That was a stinger.''
Both emotionally and physically.
Getting back up after being knocked down proved to be a mental strain. Working through some injury issues meant some swing tweaks and lackluster results.
It all added up to the look of someone who was suffering from a massive hangover.
"I always realized it was not my first hard loss and probably won't be my last,'' Rose said recently. "You can't go through a career without sidestepping emotional defeats. When I had a really good chance to win the U.S. Open [in 2013], I pulled it off. Obviously the Olympics [gold medal in 2016], pulled that off in the big situations.
"Those are the only other times I've been right at the door, and not being able to go right through. Obviously I've had chances to win, but when it's right there in front of you? I accept it. It's part of it. Just keep putting yourself there, right?''
Rose certainly had perspective to draw upon. His father died soon after he turned pro. And the start of his professional career was laden with failures, as he began the journey 20 years ago as a teenager, having finished fourth at The Open at Royal Birkdale as an amateur, then missing 21 consecutive cuts.
But what hurts is the knowledge that he was right there on Augusta's back nine. He led by two shots with six holes to play. He was up by one stroke with two left. He had a birdie putt on the 18th green that somehow stayed out and potentially could have won the tournament.
Instead, he lost in sudden death, with Garcia celebrating his first major triumph.
The Englishman, who resides in the Bahamas, was set to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win majors championships at Merion and Augusta National. He also was looking to join Danny Willett and Nick Faldo as the only players from England to win the Masters, while giving the country two green jackets in a row.
And when Garcia pulled his drive and needed to take a penalty for an unplayable lie at the 13th hole during the final round, it seemed Rose was headed to his second major title.
But Garcia -- who recently named his newborn daughter Azalea, the name given to the 13th hole -- made an unlikely par, rolling in an 8-footer. And when Rose missed a birdie putt from a shorter distance, Garcia was still in position to rally, as he did.
Although he did not prevail, Rose had his 13th top-10 finish in a major and his eighth top-5. He also has had five top-10s at the Masters, including each of the past three years.
But his game went into decline afterward. "I put the clubs away for two weeks, didn't touch them at all, and that probably wasn't a good idea,'' he said. Then there were some nagging injuries, some back problems, and some swing tweaks with longtime coach Sean Foley.
"We had to change his posture,'' Foley said. "His back was borthering him in the middle of last year. There were some motivation issues, I believe, after the Masters. And all of that meant some changes he's had to worth through.''
Rose missed the cut at the U.S. Open, and although he tied for fourth at the Irish Open, he struggled at the next two majors, missing the cut at the PGA Championship.
Since then, however, Rose has been on a tear. In 15 worldwide events dating to August, Rose, 37, has three victories, another five top-5 finishes and a total of 13 top-10s.
"Shooting 69, going toe-to-toe with Sergio, it was a fun Sunday,'' Rose said. "Would I have loved a putt to have fallen coming in, of course? I really feel good about that place. There are no feelings of redemption or revenge. I love playing that golf course. It's one of my favorites. I know how to play that golf course.
"The other way I look at it, there is not one blade of grass at Augusta that is there again this year. Everything is fresh and new.''