Bubba Watson won the Masters at Augusta National Sunday—the achievement of a lifetime for any professional golfer—with a win made even more electrifying by his sudden-death playoff victory over Louis Oosthuizen.
The backdrop was dramatic enough, but the star golfer and committed Christian saw spiritual meaning in his Easter Sunday win.
Bubba Watson plays at a shot from the rough on second sudden death playoff hole on the 10th during the final round of the 2012 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday.
(Streeter Lecka - GETTY IMAGES)
Sunday morning, Watson tweeted a Scripture verse thanking God “in all circumstances.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) April 8, 2012
And Watson did just that, after his victory.
To God Be the Glory!!! #Masters
— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) April 9, 2012
During a post-win news conference, the golfer, who describes himself on Twitter as “Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer. Owner of General Lee 1,” talked about God’s role in the recent adoption of his infant son Caleb, and his own spiritual maturation, including his decision in 2004 to ‘give myself to the Lord:’
Reporter:You talked about it being a special day, not just because of winning the Masters, but because it’s Easter?
Watson: Yeah, this is the day Jesus is risen. Good Friday was when He was crucified on the cross, and today is Easter where we celebrate He’s risen. For us, that’s salvation to go to Heaven. He took all of our sins from us. So for me, it’s just a dream come true. My dad is not here. I hope he’s watching in heaven. My grandma never got to watch me play professional golf. She used to make all my knickers for me. So when I think about the day, those are the most important things to me. A guy, Billy Weir, that introduced me to PING; all of these people that influenced me throughout my life, that’s what I’m thinking about, not really me winning a golf tournament. I’m thinking about all of these people that influenced me in the right direction to get to where I am today as a person.
Watson’s wife Angie, who was at home with their baby, mirrored her husband’s sentiments, tweeting “Baby Caleb, a green jacket, none compare to the price Jesus paid to make today possible!”
Watson joins other prominent athletes, most recently the new-New York Jet Tim Tebow and New York Knick Jeremy Lin, who use their sports fame to share the Gospel.
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