Sure, victory has its charm, but it hits differently when it is shared with loved ones. Just look at Cameron Young, who lifted the trophy at TPC Sawgrass while his wife and kids cheered him on. The same holds for Justin Rose, who boasts 13 PGA Tour titles and 11 victories on the DP World Tour. But the one that truly stayed with him came when his father, Ken Rose, was there to witness it in person. So naturally, when Rose received the trophy, it was impossible to suppress his emotions.

“It means so much, I was actually lost for words,” Rose said in a video shared on X, which showed a photo of his father touching the trophy alongside him and his family. “It’s the only professional win my late father was there to see. Truly special.”

Indeed, it is.

The trophy represents Rose’s victory at the 2002 British Masters. The 21-year-old at the time won four titles that season across South Africa, Japan, and the UK, and claimed the trophy at the Marquess Course with a total of 19-under-par, securing a dramatic one-shot victory over his close friend, Ian Poulter.

But more than that, the win will be memorable for Ken Rose, who followed his son throughout the tournament for all four days despite battling leukemia. Ken, who had been Rose’s only teacher for the first years of his golfing life and had been a rock through Justin’s early professional struggles, died later that year at the age of 57 after a long battle.

His final words to his wife, Annie, about Justin Rose were:

“Don’t worry, Justin will be okay. He’ll know what to do.”

Ken now continues to be a guiding light for his son throughout his career, most notably during his emotional 2013 U.S. Open win on Father’s Day. Rose emotionally dedicated his victory to his late father by looking to the sky and saying:

“I couldn’t help but look up to the heavens because my dad, Ken, had something to do with it.”

However, Rose never received a replica of his 2002 victory trophy. And recently, a couple of his close friends noticed the original was being auctioned and decided to purchase it for him, surprising him with it.

“Now I have the actual physical embodiment of that day right here, sitting next to another trophy that my dad won when he was a 17-year-old boy. It’s a perfect pair now. The special memories I have for that day now have a special trophy to go alongside it. Thank you to two amazing friends of mine who very generously went out of their way and figured out the rightful home for this fantastic trophy,” Rose said after getting the Victor Chandler British Masters trophy that had his father’s touch.

And now, this addition elevates what is already considered one of the most elite and famous trophy cabinets in golf.

Ken Rose is the reason his son still does so much at 45

Last year, Justin Rose said, “I was able to give my dad the peace of mind and clarity and comfort that I was going to be the player he always believed I could be.” And truly, since 2002, his focus has been on persevering through everything and in a rather grand manner.

Remember how he won by seven shots at Torrey Pines at the Farmers Insurance Open? Well, going wire-to-wire in any tournament is a significant achievement, and Rose stated afterward that there was a lot of “self-satisfaction” associated with winning in that manner, particularly breaking the scoring records at 36, 54, and 72 holes.

However, the chunk of motivation came from wanting to be for his kids what his dad was for him.

“I love to show them that the old man’s still got it, show them what hard work looks like and that you have to persevere in life,” Rose had shared when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2023.

Perseverance has truly been the theme of his life. The Pebble win came after a four-year drought, with the weight of 21 missed cuts he had to begin his pro career. Yet, Rose never let doubts storm his mind because his father, Ken Rose, had creatively inculcated in him the love for golf.

“The way my dad was able to do it for me was to keep things fun with games and incentives,” Rose recalled in 2024.

Hence, it makes sense why Rose pointed to the heavens in the 2025 Masters after his birdie on the 72nd hole.