CinkWMB0722If you’re a golf fan like me (especially an older golf fan), you probably uttered an audible groan when 59-year-old Tom Watson missed that putt on 18 Sunday at Turnberry, losing a chance to make history as the oldest person ever to win a major championship. Even though his name was not etched for a sixth time on the Claret Jug, his play in the British Open last week was nothing short of amazing.

Because Watson’s story was so significant and historic, the guy who eventually came out on top, Stewart Cink, got lost a bit in the shuffle, but he probably didn’t mind. During the telecast Sunday, ABC’s commentators kept referring to Cink as a “gentleman” and a “kind man” and a “good guy.” I figured those were probably politically correct TV code words used to point out that Cink is a Christian, and it turns out I was right.

Cink’s road to becoming a believer began after he was asked in college, “If you die today, will you go to heaven?” At the time, he answered yes, but he really wasn’t sure, and the question began to haunt him.

“I had to get the answer,” he said in a 2005 interview posted at the Links Player International site. “I had to know more.” (Links, by the way, is a ministry designed to “link” golfers from around the world in Christ.)

His wife, who was already a believer, helped him in finding that answer. And after becoming a Christian in 2000, Cink, who’s had his share of ups and downs in his career, developed a whole new perspective on his game.

“I tell you what,” he continued in the interview, “there have been times in the game of golf when I’ve been unhappy with the way I performed. But all I have to do is think about how trivial and insignificant it is to have a 75 one day when I think about what Jesus gave up for me. That puts it into perspective so quickly. If I didn’t have that, if I’d never been asked the question, or if my wife had never kept it in front of me, today I may never have been able to put that kind of disappointment away.”

I am sad that Tom Watson lost, but I am glad that a brother in Christ who has struggled for many years finally was rewarded for all of his hard work and patience.