Andy North explains why Justin Rose's past experience makes him a favorite to win the green jacket on Sunday in Augusta. (0:59)

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Justin Rose isn't the type of Masters contender who will make you spring out of bed Sunday like it's Christmas morning.

He's certainly not unlikable. Quite the opposite, really. Rose is a hard-working, well-spoken, controversy-avoiding kind of guy. He might fall a few Q-rating points shy of superstar status, but he does own a U.S. Open trophy and an Olympic gold medal and a swing that most of us would spend a life savings to emulate.

But there are a few things he isn't.

He isn't final-round playing partner Sergio Garcia, whose delicate dance with the golf gods has left him without a major championship nearly two decades after we figured he'd claim plenty of 'em.

He isn't Rickie Fowler, the trendy, flat-billed champion of the millennial set, whose proficiency for getting up and down from all corners of the course makes him golf's version of the Little Engine That Could.

And he isn't Jordan Spieth, the unsinkable Masters winner from two years ago, who infamously lost last year's edition of the tournament and is now battling for the dramatic redemption story.

If there's a knock against Rose, it's that he isn't any of these things. He isn't cursed or cool or combative.

While narratives are rife throughout the Masters leaderboard, the headline on Rose's road toward a green jacket would read something like this: Really Good Player is Trying to Win Really Good Tournament.

Justin Rose boasts a silky swing and a sensible demeanor. Which is a very kind way of saying he's really quite unremarkable. David Cannon/Getty Images

"Jordan obviously has a special relationship with the Masters; he's going to feel great about his chances tomorrow," Rose said. "Rickie is a very confident player. He's going to be searching for his first major championship. He's going to be all up for it tomorrow. Sergio is going to have a great opportunity. There's wonderful storylines."

He understands where he might rank in that pecking order.

The truth is -- and he'd likely admit it -- Rose is actually kind of boring.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

In fact, look within yourself. Are you flashy or hip like those other three players in the final two pairings? Or do you just go about your business quietly and workmanlike? If you answered the latter, you just might want to think about rooting for Rose to win this thing.

He was one of the last players on-site at Augusta National this week; his caddie's bib number of 93 reflecting that decision. There might have been some crazy rationale for this strategy, but befitting his demeanor, it was simply a calculated maneuver to remain fresh through Sunday.

"I feel like I know this golf course really well," he explained, after a third-round 67 that was low score of the day. "You do always learn something. There's always a trick that you pick up. So your practice rounds are still very valuable here. I spent the Monday of Houston here, as well. I was here with Henrik Stenson, and we went out and did a lot of work around the greens and on the greens.

"When the forecast was bad, I felt there was less rush to get here, and I felt the recovery was the most important thing. So I went home Monday, saw my kids and got back here Tuesday afternoon, went out and played a beautiful nine holes around 5:00, and it was a lot of fun."

Rose's track record at Augusta is indeed impressive. In the past decade alone, he owns four top-10s, no finishes worse than 36th and has never missed the cut. The only thing missing from his Masters resume is a victory, and he could be on the verge of crossing that off the list.

He will enter the final round at 6 under, in a share of the lead with Garcia, one stroke clear of Fowler, two ahead of Spieth, Ryan Moore and Charley Hoffman and three above Adam Scott.

Rose has been in similar positions before -- notably two years ago, when he parlayed a second-place start entering that Sunday into a second-place finish by the end of it.

This time, he's hoping a start in the lead will end with him there.

"This is a place I dearly love and would dearly love to be part of the history here," he said. "I have an opportunity. That's all you want, but really it starts on the back nine on Sunday. A one‑shot lead starting the day doesn't mean much. You're going to have to go out and play a good round of golf, and I think there's going to be four or five guys pretty much with the same mindset tomorrow."

That's a well-spoken, rational take -- perhaps one that's even a little boring.

That's all right, though. Compared with his fellow contenders, Rose just might be a boring guy. He doesn't own the storylines of the others, but he also doesn't care.

Boring often wins major championships. It just might, once again, Sunday afternoon.