Britain’s Justin Rose has been named the 2021 recipient of the Payne Stewart Award, which is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a golfer who best exemplifies Payne’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, who was an 11-time winner including a PGA Championship & two US Opens, and a posthumous member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, died tragically in a plane crash during the week of the Tour Championship in 1999.
Since its inception in 2000 the Payne Stewart Award has been sponsored by Atlanta-based Southern Company, the “Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR and Tour Champions.” Justin will officially be honored with the award on Tuesday, August 31 prior to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be associated with the enduring legacy of Payne Stewart through this award,” said Rose. “The Payne Stewart Award has become an annual celebration of Payne’s impact on the Tour and its players. I am forever grateful to be connected to a man who was the consummate professional on and off the course and will cherish being a Payne Stewart Award recipient well after my playing days are over.”
Justin Rose has been a model of consistency in recent years. He is the only active golfer who has been #1 in the world golf rankings, a major winner at the 2013 US Open at Merion, an Olympic Gold Medalist in 2016, FedEx Cup Champion in 2018 with over 24 wins worldwide. Justin owns a home in Lake Nona, Florida but resides with his family in Albany, Bahamas since 2014.
Rose selected the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation as the destination for the $300,000 charitable donation to its 24th recipient. The Rose Foundation has worked to support organizations in South Africa, the Bahamas, USA, and England since launching in 2009, and helped in the rebuilding of the Grand Bahamas Children’s Home after being destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. In addition, they have worked closely with the ‘Blessing in a Backpack’ initiative to help hungry children in Central Florida during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Rose family showed their continuous commitment to the sport by launching the Rose Ladies Series giving female golfers playing opportunities in the U.K. for big prize purses when the European Ladies Tour fell short of funding. Justin has also sponsored the Justin Rose/The Telegraph Junior Golf Championship in England for many years.
“Justin Rose embodies everything the Payne Stewart Award represents,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Like Payne, he has been one of the premier players of his generation while using his platform to better the lives of others.”
