Some people like to golf and some people love to golf. One Orange County man battling cancer says the game he loves and a doctor he golfs with are saving his life.

Kirk Rose is that golfer who rarely misses a shot. He’s been chasing the little white golf ball since he was a teenager and never looked back.

Nine months later the titles between the doctor and Rose changed to oncologist and patient.

“I felt fine, I felt great and then we got that diagnosis and it was devastating,” Rose said.

For Rose the game of golf is his life. He’s been playing for decades.

“I couldn’t give up everything. Gold is my identity, it’s who I am and I couldn’t give that up and I wasn’t going to give it in to cancer,” Rose said. “I was not.”

Dr. Minch Fong, Rose’s oncologist and golf buddy understood completely.

“Kirk believes every day is a blessing and he treats it that way,” Dr. Fong an oncologist at Providence Mission Hospital said.

Rose has been living with cancer since 2018. He still gets chemotherapy treatments regularly.

He’s never given up his love of the game, and it’s about to pay off.

NBC4 caught up with Rose in Massachusetts because this weekend he will tee off in the U.S. Gold Association’s National Senior Amateur Championship.

“I told Dr. Fong months ago I had this gnawing in my stomach that I had to get on a bigger stage and let people know that just because you get a diagnosis of cancer it doesn’t mean it’s an end game,” Rose said.

The San Clemente man rarely misses a shot even though he’s been through many medical sand traps, he’s still lining up his future.