Yesterday, 27-year-old Scottie Scheffler put on his second Green Jacket in three years after convincingly winning the Masters – his ninth career tournament win overall, and his third win this year.
He’s the number one golfer in the world right now and every aspect of his golf game is strong. He has many admirable qualities, but what jumps out is his ability to bounce back after a bad shot or a bad hole.
As dominant as he was all weekend, he’s not perfect and still made mistakes. However, he leads the tour in bounce-back birdies (or better) and we saw him respond well and fight back after facing temporary adversity.
During round three on Saturday, he had a double bogey on 10 and a bogey on 11 but then recovered with a par, a double eagle, a par, and a birdie. He then slipped up on hole 17 with a bogey but finished the round with a birdie on 18.
Then in the final round on Sunday, he had a bogey on number seven. His competitors saw an opening, but Scheffler fought back with three straight birdies including an incredible one on nine. He struggled a little bit on hole 11 with a bogey, but then bounced back and finished the tournament with three more birdies and four pars.
Scottie Scheffler demonstrated how to respond to adversity, recover from mistakes, and bounce back on the next hole. I believe what gives him this ability is the reminder he’s already a Masters champion while also remaining confident, steady, at peace, and focused.
Max Homa who finished tied for third said, “He is pretty amazing at letting things roll off his back…”
As great as Scheffler was at responding well to a bad hole or a mis-hit, plenty of other golfers unraveled during the weekend.
One mistake led to another and another, spiraling down the leaderboard, allowing the negative thoughts, pressure, shame, or regret from the last hole to lose their focus and confidence.
Just as in sports (especially golf), the ability to bounce back, respond well to adversity, and recover from mistakes is important as we follow Jesus.
We know we’re not perfect and make mistakes, however, as we cling to Christ we can have a great “bounce back rate.”
Proverbs 24:16 (NLT) encourages us with these words: “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”
We will either struggle, hit a “bogey,” mis-hit, or slip up at some point, but the key is to respond well and not unravel. We can recover, remain confident, maintain steadiness, be at peace, and be focused because we’re already a champion in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV) says, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Proverbs 3:26 (AMP) explains, “For the Lord will be your confidence, firm and strong, And will keep your foot from being caught [in a trap].”
When we walk with Jesus and abide in Him, He will help us overcome our shame, regret, and negative thoughts and remind us of His grace and love.
As we remember what Jesus did on the cross for us and the eternal life we have in Him, we don’t have to let adversity cause us to spiral down or allow sins to compound, but rather we can bounce back, repent, and respond well as we rely on God.
Psalm 37:23-24 (AMP) tells us, “The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him.”
I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to bounce back in repentance as my confidence is in Jesus. I confess my mistakes and sins. I pray I wouldn’t allow shame to derail me so I unravel and head down a path of more sin. I thank you for being the One who holds my hand, sustains me, and gives me the ability to respond well to adversity. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
*For more encouragement, check out the following from Scottie Scheffler:
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