Justin Rose won the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament January 29 through February 1 at the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego with a 72-hole score of 265 and received $1,728,000 for his first-place position. In addition to the $9.6 million paid to the golfers for prize money the Farmers Insurance Open also provided revenue to various charities including Support The Enlisted Project.
“We’re just really grateful,” said STEP president Laura White.
The Century Club of San Diego organizes the Farmers Insurance Open. The non-profit corporation’s primary charitable program is called Champions for Youth. The Century Club partners with charitable organizations and provides elements such as donation software, strategy development assistance, and a marketing toolkit. The Century Club also provides a partial match of funds raised, covers credit card processing fees, and provides the charitable partners with access to tournament experiences.
“It’s just been an absolute dream and privilege to be a part of this program for ten years,” White said.
Because STEP assists military families rather than just the enlisted armed forces member a youth element exists. STEP was founded by military veterans 13 years ago. “The program started very much as a band-aid program,” White said.
The initial support to the military families ensured that bills were paid and the families had food for all meals. STEP later initiated programs involving change behavior to ensure financial solvency to the extent possible. “The military teaches them to be very much resilient,” White said.
Often situations are beyond the family’s control. Relocations force spouses to abandon jobs and seek a job in a new town, and housing in San Diego County is not as affordable as in other areas around military bases. “Financial crisis is a major issue within the military community,” White said. “We want to take the crisis out of it.”
A veteran or a veteran’s spouse who is trained in financial counseling spends up to a year with a military family to develop and implement a financial plan. Over the years more than 10,000 military families have been helped. Most of those were stationed in Southern California, although some military families elsewhere have also benefited.
“Ideally we’re going to take these programs throughout the United States,” White said.
STEP works with Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, the 32nd Street and Point Loma Naval bases in San Diego, Naval Air Station Coronado, and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. “We have relationships with all the bases on the West Coast,” White said. “We work with active duty leadership on all of the bases.”
The focus on counseling allows STEP to work with other organizations providing assistance to military families. “We partner with all these other organizations,” White said.
“We want to step in, make sure they know there’s a community that cares about them,” White said. “We’re 100 percent privately funded, and that allows us to be flexible and make decisions really quickly.”
The Professional Golfers’ Association of America sanctions the Farmers Insurance Open. “The PGA in general has been an extremely philanthropic organization,” White said.
STEP began working with the Century Club ten years ago. “They provide the resources and then it’s up to us to make it work,” White said.
Century Club members with expertise help the non-profit partners. “They’re dedicating their time to our organization, so it’s really a full approach,” White said.
During the first year of the partnership STEP raised between $10,000 and $15,000. “We’re a very small organization,” White said.
The assistance from the Century Club allowed fundraising to increase in subsequent years. “Our third year is when we took off,” White said.
STEP raised approximately $150,000 in 2025. “We really came along,” White said.
“Century Club has been a huge part of that support,” White said. “It’s a gem and people don’t know a lot about it, and it’s really made a huge impact on dozens of organizations.”
STEP recently purchased a new national headquarters building in San Diego. The organization has raised approximately $1.1 million through its partnership with the Century Club.
After ten years as a Champions for Youth partner STEP transitioned to alumni status this year while still obtaining approximately $50,000 in donations from the Farmers Insurance Open. “We’re going to hopefully go on and help mentor other organizations who are part of this program,” White said. “We’re happy to mentor. We know what it’s like to start and be overwhelmed.”
