MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Where one pro golfer came up short on Wednesday, a 12-year-old patient from St. Jude stepped up to earn a massive donation.
PGA professional Justin Rose had the chance to sink a 50-foot putt to earn a $50,000 FedEx donation toward St. Jude. His putt fell short, but when he missed, he asked 12-year-old Dakota Cunningham to step up and take a shot at a 5-foot putt.
Cunningham drilled the put to make the donation official. He says he had to get chemotherapy on Thursday but uses golf to help him push through his treatment.
“I practice as much as I can. I get chemo every week, once a week. So I’ll not feel good about two days, but then I get out on the golf course as much as I can,” he said.
“It’s just kind of hits you what he’s really going through. His mentality and mental spirit will be as important for him as the chemotherapy will be. He just seems like a little champ, and obviously I wish him really well,” Rose said.
Rose, who is ranked fourth in the world, is playing in Memphis for the first time in his career.