Justin Rose and his family call London home, but during the period of life when they lived in Orlando, the golfer enjoyed numerous opportunities to interact with Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill Club. Those times are among his most cherished memories, but it’s a chance encounter with The King at the 2015 Open that is most ingrained.

Palmer had hit a ceremonial tee shot and was accompanying the Champion Challenge exhibition at St. Andrews. Rose was playing a practice round and found Palmer off the 16th green. “Arnie walked over to me. There was always such a warmth to him,” Rose said. “Then he took my putter and started waggling it, and I’m like, ‘Man, this guy still has golf in his bones and blood.’

“He did so much in the game and for the game. And then he used his place in the game to help so many people.”

Similarly, Rose has used his station in golf to give back, primarily through the Kate and Justin Rose Foundation. Since 2009, the foundation has focused on the nutritional and educational needs of impoverished children in Central Florida. In fulfilling the foundation’s mission of “feeding hungry tummies and curious minds,” the Roses have joined with the “Blessings in a Backpack,” program that provides supplemental weekend meals for elementary school children.

In recognition of his many charitable undertakings, Rose is the recipient of the 2025 Arnie Award presented by Golf Digest. Winner of 11 PGA Tour events, including the 2013 U.S. Open, Rose, 44, will be honored in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club with a Palmer bronze sculpture created by the renowned artist Zenos Frudakis. Golf Digest will donate $50,000 to the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation.

“Obviously, this means so much because people hold Arnie in the highest regard. He’s pretty much the benchmark for how people think a sportsman should act,” Rose said. “He had charisma, he had passion, he had determination. He was a winner. He was fierce but friendly, a mix that’s such a difficult thing to have.”

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Justin Rose, his wife Kate and the morning papers after his 2013 U.S. Open win at Merion Golf Club.

David Cannon

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Rose, whose two children were born at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando, quickly credits Kate for their legacy of philanthropy. “It’s why she gets top billing. She’s got a heart of gold,” Justin said. “She got involved right away with the PGA Tour Wives’ Association, got engaged with Blessings in a Backpack through cities we visited, and then we took that to heart to help in our adopted city.”

Rose also sponsors the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship to encourage junior golf development, and in 2020 he and Kate created the Rose Ladies Series to provide playing opportunities in England for women golfers during COVID. Additionally, Rose has raised money for cancer research and contributed to various causes in The Bahamas.

In addition to tangible assistance, Rose also appreciates feeding young minds with inspiration. Rose remembers one occasion during his foundation’s annual Bay Hill Day, when students from a local elementary school attended the Arnold Palmer Invitational and had lunch with Amy Saunders, Palmer’s daughter. Rose was playing alongside Tiger Woods, and as they made the turn, Rose “plucked up the courage” to ask Woods to acknowledge the children. “The kids didn’t know anything about golf, but they knew Tiger,” he said. “Tiger hit and turned around and gave them a wave. They were just wide-eyed.

“These kids have never seen such manicured, perfect grass. They sit down and actually stroke the grass. You don’t expect them to go on to be golfers, but it’s about opening their eyes to the sport and another world. Hopefully, you just create one little spark. Sometimes, that’s all a kid needs.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com