…and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2, ESV)
Way back in 2022, when he won his first Masters title, Scottie Scheffler did two things:
First, and obvious to all, he proved that he could play golf at the very highest level and succeed.
Second, and obvious to a smaller number but still to many, he told the world that his identity is in Christ, win or lose.
Having been fortunate to be in a place where I knew both of those things before the public at large knew them, I was not surprised. We had Scottie as a guest at Tales from the Tour on Monday evening of the WM Phoenix Open, and he had spoken plainly about his faith. Then, of course, we cheered as he went on to win his first PGA Tour victory that week.
We cheered even more when he spoke about his faith with great confidence in the post-round press conference at The Masters while wearing his green jacket. And many people listened.
One of those was Rose Zhang, at the time the Number one female amateur golfer in the world. She went on to accomplish much over the next two years, turning pro, winning her first LPGA event as a pro, and then winning again just a few weeks ago.
In her press conference she talked about her faith, and she basically said that hearing Scottie talk about his faith gave her more courage to share hers. Wow!
Recently, a new friend told me he had helped lead a friend to a relationship with Christ, and the event that paved the way was (yep!) Scottie Scheffler talking about his faith after winning the Masters.
This new brother is a college golfer – one of the best in the country – and he is now sharing his faith with his teammates and coaches and family.
So the next time you play golf with someone, ask them if they know about Scottie Scheffler’s faith. If they follow the LPGA (as they should!), ask them if they know about Rose Zhang’s faith.
What you’ve heard, share. That’s how the good news of Jesus spreads, and you can be part of it.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the faithfulness and boldness of Scottie, Rose, and many others. May we share what we have heard, and may you be glorified? In Jesus’ name. Amen