Unlike Many Sports,

UNLIKE MANY SPORTS, golf observes strict rules of conduct. Fans must remain silent until a shot has been taken. When Annika Sorenstam carded her record-breaking round in 2001, the suspense and silence electrified the air.

The 30-year-old Swedish golfer began her surge in the second round of the Standard Register Ping tournament on the front nine. Red-hot from the start, Sorenstam recorded birdies on the first eight holes before making par on No. 9.

Her hot streak continued on the second nine with four straight birdies to go 12-under-par. As the golfer made her way down the Moon Valley Country Club course, the gallery kept growing with the sense that history might soon be made.

On the par 5, No. 17, Sorenstam drove straight down the middle and reached the green on the fly with a long iron shot. With a dove’s coo the only audible sound, Annika peered at her 20-foot eagle putt, paced off the distance, and rolled the ball to within eight inches of the hole. When she tapped in for her 13th birdie, the crowd erupted in celebration.

Sorenstam parred the final hole for a 13-under-par 59, the first ever recorded in LPGA history. She joined an elite group that includes the PGA’s Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, and David Duval as the only golfers to break 60 in a professional tournament.

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POINT Golfers need silence to do their best. The gallery respects that quietness, partly because of the rules and partly because of their awe for professional golfers. Annika Sorenstam benefited from that silence.

We all need times of silence to think, to pray, and to listen. Habakkuk wrote that we should be silent before our holy God. Certainly, the heavenly Father loves to hear our songs of worship. But he also treasures our silent times with him.

GOAL! Focus on being quiet for at least three minutes as you think about the awesomeness of God. Listen to his still voice speaking to you. Praise God with your silence.