In an interview after his victory at the Masters golf championship recently, Scottie Scheffler said, “The reason I play golf is to glorify God.” His wife told him that even if he doesn’t win another tournament, Jesus still loves him.
Of all the major sports in North America there are some that you rarely see public professions of faith, these include hockey, basketball, and tennis. On the other hand, there are sports which have many overt Christians, and this includes soccer, football, and golf.
There is an impressive number of high-level golfers besides Scheffler who speak of their faith. Jordan Spieth is a Catholic who similarly spoke of his faith priorities after winning the British Open: “My faith and then my family.”
Also, Bubba Watson stated recently, “Golf is just an avenue for Jesus to use me to reach the most people.”
Zach Johnson said, “I thank God for the talent he has given me. I take it seriously.”
Webb Simpson, another highly ranked PGA performer, said, “I wasn’t born to be a golfer, I was born to be a child of God.”
This is indeed what we all should be in our careers.
Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell are Catholics from Northern Ireland who faced tough decisions before choosing who to play for in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. It wasn’t that faith was the main issue, but it entered into the decision.
Zach Johnson was brought up as a devout Catholic, and he and his wife are raising their family to love God.
South African legend Gary Player isn’t even Catholic, but he went to a Catholic church before the final round of the U.S. Open that he ended up winning. “I didn’t pray to win, I prayed for courage, patience, and the ability to accept adversity.”
This is the approach that we should take to all our endeavours. It isn’t about winning as much performing well, staying healthy, and being an ambassador for Christ in our behaviour.
Chip Beck, who has retired now from the PGA tour, has always been proud of his Catholic faith. He has six children and numerous grandchildren. He has donated to various Catholic charities and is active in trying to turn around the United States from a faith perspective.
Beck has many thoughts on golfing Catholics and the history of the Church on the links. He reminds people that the late great Bobby Jones converted to Catholicism before he died. He talks about top college player Peter Hannah who is now Father Peter Hannah.
In the Archdiocese of Vancouver we have a similar example with Father Richard Conlin of Corpus Christi Parish.
Beck says there are many Evangelical golfers who are in love with the Word of God, but “they aren’t appreciating that the Bible came from the Catholic Church,” he told The National Catholic Register.
Beck does acknowledge however that as Catholics we have to put our game face on and get into the battle. “As King Solomon said in Proverbs, ‘Without a vision or revelation or prophecy, the people will perish.’”
