The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) is to award Major Dan Rooney the 2014 Donald Ross Award.

Awarded for his positive contribution to golf and golf course architecture, Rooney will be presented with the award in May during the 68th ASGCA Annual Meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Rooney worked in the military as an Air Force pilot and served three combat tours in Iraq, receiving numerous decorations. He is the founder of the Folds of Honor foundation, which uses funds raised through its flagship Patriot Golf Day to support the scholarship’s awarded to military families.

A class A PGA professional golfer, the Oklahoma-native has devoted himself to assisting the families of those killed or disabled in service to the United States while fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

“Maj. Dan Rooney’s focus and dedication to helping the families of fallen heroes and wounded veterans through golf is inspirational,” said ASGCA president Rick Robbins. “We in the industry know what the beauty of golf layouts and the challenge and fun of the game can do for players. Dan’s dedication puts that inherent good of the game to work by giving back to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

Since 2007, the Folds of Honor foundation has raised more than $US38 million and awarded 5,500 scholarships.

“Dan has taken the next step in using the game of golf for good by developing a golf course dedicated to helping our military members and their families,” added Robbins. “Making The Patriot Golf Club a reality shows how far that dedication goes. Donating a portion of the joining fee to Folds of Honor, placing the foundation’s headquarters there and creating programming for wounded warriors shows that the development of the club was really for a higher purpose.”