U.S. Open contender Justin Rose is married to Kate Rose. The couple has two young children, a son Leo and, a daughter Charlotte.
The 36-year-old Rose was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but his parents moved to England when he was 5. He finished second in the Masters in 2015 and won the U.S. Open in 2013. In 2016,he won the gold medal at the first Summer Olympics golf tournament in 112 years and became a Member of the British Empire after that victory. He is currently #14 on the Official World Golf Rankings.
You can follow Rose on Instagram, while Kate is on Twitter.
Here’s what you need to know about Rose’s family:
1. Justin & Kate Have Their Own Foundation to Promote Nutrition & Education
Justin Rose with his mother Margaret and his wife Kate. (Getty)
Rose and his wife established their own foundation, appropriately called The Kate and Justin Rose Foundation. Their focus is on education and nutrition for low-income and hungry children.
For their nutrition programs, the foundation has been working with Blessings in a Backpack since 2009 to help hungry children in the Orlando area, where the couple have a home.
“This program is very close to our hearts because Kate and I know Blessings in a Backpack fills a crucial void for children who might otherwise go hungry. I can’t expect to play good golf if I’m not properly nourished so how can we expect kids to go a full weekend with out enough to eat and then be able to focus on learning the next school week,” Rose said in a statement on their site.
When it comes to education, they work with BookTrust to help children in low-income households have access to books.
2. The Couple Started Dating in 2000 & Married in 2006
Justin and Kate Rose with Leo in 2010. (Getty)
Rose and Kate have been a couple since 2000, according to The Gold News Net. They met when she was an assistant at IMG, the same firm that represented him at the time. (Rose is currently managed by Mark Steinberg of Excel Sports Management.)
The couple got married in 2006. Thankfully, he had a few weeks to enjoy being married before having to compete again, the Telegraph reported at the time.
“I was always going to be happy about getting married no matter what – but I have to admit that the wedding champagne will be tasting that bit sweeter,” he told the Telegraph.
3. Leo Rose Cried When He Saw His Dad Win at the Olympics
(Instagram/Justin Rose)
Rose’s dramatic two-stroke win over Henrik Stenson brought tears to Rose’s 8-year-old son Leo’s eyes. In an interview with Golfweek, Rose said it was the first time he saw his son cry! Rose called his son right after he won the gold medal.
“I’ve never seen my little boy in tears,” Rose told the site. “I’ve never seen it resonate so much with him.”
Rose told Golfweek that he couldn’t explain why Leo thought winning a gold medal at the first Olympic golf tournament since 1904 was so much more important than his father’s other wins.
“It just meant something a lot more to him for some reason, and I can’t explain that,” Rose said in 2016. “It’s not something I have pushed on him; it’s just the fact that the Olympics is just an event that takes over the world for a few weeks, and you can’t ignore it. It’s everywhere.”
4. Rose Skipped a Tournament to Be With Kate When Charlotte Was Born on New Year’s Day
Charlotte Rose gets a lesson from Justin Rose and Lee Westwood. (Twitter/Kate Rose)
As The Golf Channel notes, Rose skipped the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to be with Kate when Charlotte was born. It meant he got to spend New Year’s Day with his family, since Charlotte was born on January 1, 2012!
Charlotte was more interested in gymnastics during the Olympics. Kate is a former gymnast.
“The kids have been watching the gymnastics, and (Justin’s wife) Kate posted a cute Facebook post of my daughter watching gymnastics,” Rose told Golfweek. “Her eyes were literally popping out of her head watching these people do tumbles and jumps. You could tell it was really opening their eyes to sport, and that made my win feel a lot more important to them.”
Leo’s birthday is February 21, 2009.
5. Leo Handed Out Autographs at the 2015 Masters & Is a ‘Legend In His Own Mind,’ According to his Dad
Justin Rose with son Leo at the 2016 Masters. (Getty)
The Augusta Chronicle reported that during the 2015 Masters, Leo would sign flags to hand out to fans his own age. He already thinks his autograph will be valuable.
“I don’t think he really knew the concept of the autograph,” Rose told the Augusta Chronicle in 2015. “He sure enjoyed giving them today. It was interesting that that was the thing he took away from this whole thing. That’s what fascinated him the most, the signings.”
Rose added that his son might have a big ego. “He’s ready for fame. He’s a legend in his own mind,” Rose told the Chronicle.
