If you are paying any attention to the news these days, then you know that Iowa women’s college basketball star Caitlin Clark has been dominating the sports headlines for the past few months. If you are a golf fan, you would also be well aware of the dominating performance of the world’s top ranked men’s golfer, Scottie Scheffler, who has four wins in his last five tournaments including The Players Championship and his second Masters title. These two superstars share something in common that I’d like to bring to your attention. They, like many other top athletes, are not defined simply by their athletic successes, but by their devotion to their family and faith.
Alyssa Murphy wrote a column in the National Catholic Register on April 5 titled, “From Prayer to Pointers: How Faith Fuels Caitlin Clark’s Game”. She includes this quote from Clark to the Des Moines Register in 2018: “We get to live our faith every day. Dowling (High School) starts every day with prayer and ends every day with prayer. This is a big reason why Dowling has such a special culture and is such a special place to go to school.”
In a column by John Knebels titled “Iowa’s Caitlin Clark supported by Catholic faith, family,” Clark’s high school coach, Kristin Meyer, commented, “Her support system starts with her family. She doesn’t get caught up in fame or the business aspect. She was like that in high school. She didn’t look to seek attention. She didn’t spend much time on social media. She’s grounded. Humble.”
CBS golf columnist Kyle Porter wrote an April 15 column titled, “Masters champion Scottie Scheffler’s faith and focus make him unshakable, and perhaps, unstoppable.” In it he wrote, “Scheffler is guided by his Christian faith, about which he has become increasingly vocal. He spoke about it before the tournament started. About how he is not defined by his golf score or his success, but rather his faith.”
Scheffler’s faith is central to all he does, yet most media outlets ignore it. I give ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt (SVP) credit for not only mentioning it on Sportscenter after Scheffler’s second Masters victory, but realizing the role it plays in his success. SVP said, “First for Scheffler is God and he does all this to give glory to God.” During Scheffler’s interview, he made it clear that he is not defined by golf and that golf will be fourth behind his faith, wife and soon-to-be-born child.
And that was before Scheffler became the first player to win the RBC Heritage here in the Lowcountry the week after winning the Masters since 1985. My family and I were blessed to see his performance in person. I was even able to meet Scheffler’s caddy, Ted Scott, at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Christian Heritage Breakfast on Hilton Head Island the Tuesday before the RBC began.
I was a guest at the breakfast of my LowCountry Community Church Youth Ministry staff where I volunteer on Wednesday evenings. I was with youth ministry associate director Matt Law and several of our volunteers. My friend Rob Jacobs, who is the South Coastal FCA Area director, and his staff helped put on another class event. I am so blessed to be a small part of what is happening in the Lowcountry through the FCA. I’m starting to see so many familiar faces at these events. It’s just a reminder that having a purpose in retirement makes such a difference.
At the breakfast, Hilton Head Prep student and junior golfer Jeep Patrick told the story of how his mom always says, “God laughs every time you say you have a plan.” While his father says, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Jeep then said, “You can see how I grew up in a very confused household!”
It was the perfect beginning to the 28th annual Christian Heritage Breakfast sponsored by the FCA. The keynote speaker was PGA tour veteran Russell Henley, and he was interviewed by Stephen Bunn of the College Golf Fellowship, who leads a bible study for many of the players on tour. Henley gave his testimony about his faith and family. He talked very candidly about his wife, Teil, and their three children and how she gave up her career so that he could focus on his career.
Henley grew up playing all different sports, especially soccer, and even played hockey in Macon, Georgia, the former home of the minor league hockey team the Macon Whoopie. He played golf at University of Georgia before turning professional.
He talked all about how before he found Christ, his identity was all about him and his success as a golfer, but it left him unfulfilled. “My whole life was wrapped up in golf. It was my life. I realized I’m actually not in a good place with a lot of anxiety and stress. I was not a good person to be around.” He told the story about when he went out on a date with Teil, and she didn’t seem as interested in him as he was in her. When he asked her why, she said, “Because I need to be with somebody who shares my faith. You find your confidence in your golf. I find mine in the Lord. I want someone like minded.”
Henley said that his parents made him go to church and it always seemed to be just about rules. He never really felt a personal relationship with God. So, with Teil’s guidance, he studied the four Gospels and the book of Galatians. He also read the book “Counterfeit Gods” by Timothy Keller and he talked about how this changed his life. He now finds peace and strength because of his faith.
Teil said, “I see the realness of God in this man because of his faith.” It is his faith that helped him to overcome his nervousness and anxiety and led to his fourth PGA victory at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico in 2022.
He completed his talk with three points:
- Be where your feet are. Wherever you are, be present.
- The Gospel tells us “To live to love” and to serve others.
- Pray often. Help me glorify you by how I play.
Ted Scott, the caddy for Scottie Scheffler, was also in attendance. He was last year‘s guest speaker and still made it to this year‘s breakfast, even though he was exhausted having just arrived from Scheffler’s second Masters victory. He said that his favorite memory of Augusta National Golf Club was Scheffler’s first Masters victory in 2022.
Henley and Scott willingly took photos and talked to all the kids in the audience who came up to them. What an inspiration! An unexpected blessing occurred when I got to see my friend and former FCA Director Paul Cifaldi, who continues to battle stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He shook my hand with such strength, and he continues to inspire me and so many others as he “fights the good fight.”
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite weeks of the year because all three of our kids make the effort to come to South Carolina to enjoy the weather and the RBC Heritage golf tournament. We attended the Wednesday practice session and the highly competitive Saturday round. In between we played some golf ourselves.
State College native Austin Santangelo, who now lives in Bluffton, South Carolina, was a standard bearer for the tournament. His parents, Matt and Nikki, and his grandmother Marge DeLozier, our neighbor, couldn’t be prouder. I get to see Austin every Wednesday night at our LCCC youth ministry where I volunteer.
So, while most people know Caitlin Clark as a basketball player and Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley as golfers, you would be doing them an injustice to define them simply as athletes. They are spiritual warriors who happen to be elite athletes. They trust in their faith and are grounded people who put family and others first.
The Headline in Stephanie Martin’s recent column in Churchleaders.com says it all. “My Identity Is Secure Forever’: Two-Time Masters Champ Scottie Scheffler Glorifies God.”
