The Christians had a big day today in American pro golf. Rickie Fowler is a regular member of the PGA Tour Bible Study, Bernard Langer is a regular member of the Champions Tour Chapel, and they won on their respective tours.
Crowd favorite Rickie Fowler lost the U.S. Open two weeks ago. But he solved his four-year absence from the winner circle today by holing a twelve-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole in a three-man, sudden-death playoff to defeat Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the historic Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. When the ball fell out of sight, Fowler–dressed in his typical orange (and white) due to it being the school color of his alma mater, Oklahoma State University–gazed up into the sky for a moment, as if to thank God and perhaps ask him why did it take so long! Rickie had finally overcome his frustration of not winning in the past four years. It was his sixth PGA Tour win. And he looks primed to keep up this new winning habit.
Last year, Fowler had dropped out-of-sight by being rated about 185th in the world pro golfer rankings. Like another type of birdie, he had gradually fallen from his perch in 2014 when he was 4th in world rankings and a constant contender in pro golf’s four major championships, none of which he has yet won, though he did win the so-called “fifth major”–the Players’ Championship in 2015.
In Rickie Fowler’s victory interview he said, “I knew it was just a matter of time with how I’ve been playing. I’ve had a couple tough weekends where I had a chance. Winning is great but there is a lot more to life than that.” That last sentence sounds like his Christian testimony barely coming through. However, he recently got married and just had his first child.
Also today, 65-year old Bernard Langer–a guy who defies age like no other golfer ever in the history of the world–won the U.S. Senior Open at Sentry World in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, by two strokes over Steve Stricker, the hottest player on the Champions Tour. Not only that, Langer’s win broke a record that I thought would never be broken for quite a while if ever. It was his 46th win on the Champions Tour, which broke Hale Irwin’s record of most wins on this Tour, which was 45. Also, Mr. Langer–who was born and raised in Germany and came to America to live, marry, and find his fortune in chasing a little white ball–became the oldest winner on the Champions Tour today by more than ten months. As a Christian, you wonder if this victor over age even needs immortality at the future resurrection promised in scripture for the saints!
Bernard said in his victory speech, “It feels awesome. It’s been a long time coming,” referring to breaking Irwin’s record, “but very, very happy. Never thought it would happen at a U.S. Senior Open, but I’m very thrilled that the record of 46 wins happened this week.”
[Kermit Zarley co-founded the PGA Tour Bible Study in 1965 and gave leadership to the group for the next eighteen years. His eight theological books can be purchased at amazon.com. View his website kermitzarley.com.]
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