PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Justin Rose of England has been selected to receive the Payne Stewart Award, one of the premier awards on the PGA Tour that recognizes character, sportsmanship and a commitment to charity.
The award is named after the three-time major champion who died in a private plane accident in 1999, four months after he won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and a month after a U.S. victory in the Ryder Cup.
Rose, a former U.S. Open champion and Olympic gold medalist, and wife Kate have established a foundation geared toward feeding and educating children. Most recently, they created the Rose Ladies Series to provide women playing opportunities when the Ladies European Tour and other circuits shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Payne Stewart Award has become an annual celebration of Payne’s impact on the PGA Tour and its players,” Rose said. “I am forever grateful to be connected to a man who was the consummate professional on and off the golf course and will cherish being a Payne Stewart Award recipient well after my playing days are over.”
He will be presented the award on Aug. 31 at a ceremony in Atlanta the week of the Tour Championship.
Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were honored with the first award in 2000. Since then, the winners include Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson, Nick Price, Gary Player, Ernie Els and Bernhard Langer.
“Justin Rose embodies everything the Payne Stewart Award represents,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “Like Payne, he has been one of the premier players of his generation while using his platform to better the lives of those around him.”
The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation aims to “feed hungry tummies and curious minds” in central Florida. It has raised more than $3 million in providing 500,000 of what it calls hunger-free weekends, along with 300,000 books to 29,000 children.
The foundation partnered with the charity Blessings in a Backpack last year during the pandemic. It has fed nearly 5,000 children on weekends and holidays.
Rose has won 10 times on the PGA Tour, 11 times on the European Tour and captured the FedEx Cup in 2018. He has played on five Ryder Cup teams for Europe.
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