Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to Hampshire, England when he was 5 years old, which is when he started playing golf. First swung a club, however, at 11 months old when his father, Ken, handed him a plastic club. The two were incredibly close until Ken passed away in 2002 (at age 57) after a multi-year battle with cancer.

Established the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation in 2009. In the United States, the foundation's efforts centered the nutritional and educational needs of impoverished children in Central Florida (their adopted home for a period of time). The foundation partnered with Blessings in a Backpack to fight childhood hunger, and BookTrust to provide books for children from low-income families. In 2020, the foundation established the Orlando Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack (known as Rose Blessings Orlando). The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation has since established initiatives in England and contributed to initiatives in The Bahamas (most notably a $100,000 donation to Lend a Hand Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019).

Named the 2021 Payne Stewart Award recipient, recognizing his character, charity and sportsmanship.

In March 2025, in recognition of the significant charitable work carried out by the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation, Justin received the Arnie Award, presented annually by Golf Digest.

Appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017 for his services to golf.

In 2019, became the sponsor of the Telegraph Junior Golf Championship, which is regarded as an unofficial "major" of junior golf and was first played in 1985. Rose won the tournament -- now known as the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship -- in 1997.

In June 2020, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin and Kate Rose created a new women's golf series -- The Rose Ladies Series -- which provided playing opportunities throughout England. Justin and Kate pledged their own money (35,000 pounds the first year) to fund the series.

In the leadup to the 2025 Open Championship, Rose and his wife, Kate, were part of the Royal Precession at Royal Ascot, and sat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

Concluded his amateur career with a T4 finish at the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale -- which marked the highest finish by an amateur at a major championship since Jack Nicklaus finished T4 at the 1961 U.S. Open. Rose, who was 17 years old at the time and earned a spot in the field through Final Qualifying, chipped in for a walk-off birdie on the 72nd hole and turned professional immediately thereafter, saying in his post-round interview, "That shot was my last as an amateur. What a way to finish."

Represented Great Britain & Ireland at the 1997 Walker Cup -- contested at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York -- at 17 years and 10 days of age, which made him the youngest Walker Cup player in history. Rose's record as the youngest player in the event's history stood until 2005, when Oliver Fisher competed for Great Britain & Ireland at 16 years and 11 months of age.

Won the 1997 St. Andrews Links Trophy, an annual event contested at St. Andrews Links since 1989.