No Golf Tournament Rivals

NO GOLF TOURNAMENT RIVALS the Masters for beauty, tradition, and prestige. Much of the credit for the tournament’s elevation from sporting event to cultural icon belongs to Gene Sarazen, who stroked the “shot heard ’round the world.”

Born Eugenio Saraceni, the sixth-grade dropout Americanized his name to sound more like a golfer. By electing to play in a series of South American exhibitions, Sarazen missed the first Masters held in 1934. In the second annual affair, the Harrison, New York, native trailed Craig Wood by three strokes on the final day.

With Wood already in the clubhouse at 282, “Squire” (a nickname Sarazen acquired from owning a farm in Brookfield, New York) stood 220 yards from the pin on the par-5 15th hole. A small creek guarded the front of the green. Any approach required clearing the water if the golfer hoped to break par. After consulting with his caddie, Sarazen decided to go for broke and hit a 4 wood. The ball landed on the green and slowly rolled into the hole for a double eagle—golf’s rarest shot.

Sarazen held par on the remaining three holes and tied Wood. Rules called for a 36-hole playoff the following day to determine the winner. Sarazen bettered Wood 144 to 149 in the extra affair to take home the victory.

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POINT Sarazen put his hope in one shot. The ball soared over the creek like an eagle, ran strong and sure across the green, and dropped into the hole. One swing in one moment etched the golfer forever in the pages of Masters history.

The prophet Isaiah knew about hope and strength. He watched eagles soar through the sky and wrote a beautiful verse comparing those who put their hope in the Lord with these magnificent birds.

Just like scoring an eagle in golf gives us a jolt of energy, tapping into God’s strength helps us stay strong in the long haul.

GOAL! Search the Internet or look in an encyclopedia to learn more about eagles. Praise God for examples in nature of the strength, courage, and freedom he gives.