Whether you follow golf throughout the year, or only during the big Masters Tournament, we as Christians can appreciate the athletes that support God. These golfers celebrate the Lord and practice their faith on the golf course. They choose to share their faith with their fans, knowing they have a large platform to spread God’s Word.
Many players meet regularly at a study group, share Bible verses with their fans, or credit God for their talents. Some even have crucifixes on balls, carry prayer books in their golf bags or have Scriptures printed on their golf clubs. The presence of God is never far away from these God-fearing golfers! They know that God is the real reason for their success, and that God gave them all their golf talents. It helps inspire their fans to find the awesome gifts God gave them.
Here are the awesome Christian golf players that you can be a supporter of.
Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth has been compared to Tiger Woods for his impressive golfing ability. Their similarities don’t end there, though, as Spieth is also a man of faith. In an interview after the British Open, Spieth spoke about his priorities saying “My faith and then my family, and then after that, you know, this is what I love to do.” Even with his success, he has kept faith first and displays his faith through his actions. He reportedly attends the PGA Tour Bible study meetings. He also created the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation focuses on special needs youth, junior golf, and military support.
Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson is one of golf’s most fun athletes to follow. Behind the colorful character is also someone who loves God. After Watson won the Los Angeles Riviera tournament in in 2016, he credited Jesus and Bible for his success. His walk with Christ started when he was 19 when a neighbor invited him to church. Later in 2004 he got baptized with his new wife, Angie, and renewed his faith. Watson told
BillyGraham.org that he is “getting more in the Word and realizing that golf is just an avenue for Jesus to use me to reach as many people as I can.”
Zach Johnson
Golfer Zach Johnson has always been public about his faith. For example, during a tournament in 2015 he told reporters he’d been reading verses of scripture in order to stay focused throughout the tournament. After winning that tournament, he said “I was reading bits of Scripture to myself, things like Psalm 24:7. I’ve been reading them all week. I thank God for the talent he’s given me, and I take it seriously.” Early in 2002, Johnson gave himself to the Lord. Johnson now refers to his pre-Christian life (with not too much political correctness) as “my blind years”, and says his faith now is “all that matters.”
Webb Simpson
Webb Simpson is another golfer public about his faith and has “sinner loved by a Savior” on his Twitter bio. He studied religion at Wake Forest University and has hosted a Youth for Christ Challenge golf tournament. Simpson has always credited the Lord for his talents in golfing, and doesn’t let the success go to his head. “I don’t think about my gifting as that unique compared to other Christians. It just happens to be that my gift is golf, whereas another guy’s might be preaching, and another’s might be business…I wasn’t born to be a golfer. I was born to be a child of God.”
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is a self-proclaimed Christian and a well-known golfer, though is sometimes one of the more controversial athletes. He has spoken openly in public about his Christian faith and how it has changed over his lifetime. In an article on The Gospel Project, Mickelson touches on the subject of feeling the emotional burden of living up to the Christian standards. He claims that Christianity is ultimately what has helped him find joy in his life and truly appreciate all that he has accomplished in his golfing career. He attributes his attitude to golf on his belief structure.
With the Masters Tournament about to be in full swing, we are excited to see these golfers that share their love of God on and off the golf course. These golfers inspire their fans to also connect with God through what they say and their actions. God wants us to share the Gospel with others, and these golfers have a great platform to do so. They are taking advantage of the gifts God gave them to share His Word!
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