“To say ‘I quit’ brings a lot of criticism, but to get disqualified and say the ref was unfair and harsh, in denial – fans will jump on that.” ~ Paulie Malignaggi
On Saturday, June 5, 2021, professional golfer John Rahm finished his third round in the Memorial Golf Tournament hosted by Jack Nicholas, the legend himself. Rahm, unfortunately, tested positive for COVID-19, which was grounds for disqualification for the rest of the tournament. He enjoyed a six-stroke lead over the rest of the field, which made matters worse than they already were. Of course, in the game of golf, anything can happen, but more than likely, he would have won the tournament for back-to-back years. If Rahm had gone on to win on Sunday, he would have earned $1.674 million. The PGA said it was “an incredibly unfortunate situation.”
Jon Rahm left the golf course stunned by the news. He put his hand over his face and bent over in agony and disbelief after receiving the devastating test results. We don’t know if Rahm was vaccinated or not, but it doesn’t matter at the end of the day; what matters is we have yet another victim of COVID-19.
He said afterward, “this is one of those things that happen in life, one of those moments where how we respond to a setback defines us as people. I’m very thankful that my family and I are OK.” Jon Rahm is a standup guy and quickly accepted the outcome.
Golf fans found themselves split 50/50 on how the PGA should have handled the whole affair. Some argued that the PGA should have let him play solo on Sunday to finish the event, especially since he was the leader and defending champion.
Have you ever been disqualified? How did that make you feel?
Jon Rahm is correct; how we handle the trials and low spots in our lives will define us. We will all face adversity and discover over time what we are made of as we go through life. If we live for a greater purpose other than ourselves, we can overcome almost anything, but it’s easy to be swept away into the abyss of SELF and become residents in the land of the lost.
God reminds us that we are wonderfully made, created with purpose, and in the image of God. The enemy will stop at nothing to disqualify us in our minds. We must remain battle-ready at all times, reminding ourselves daily that the struggle is not of flesh and blood but supernatural. The principalities and powers will attempt to disqualify us by claiming we are fakes, frauds, and phonies. The enemy will spotlight our character defects and use them as the grounds for our disqualification. Every day we must remember who we indeed are in the eyes of God and not the enemy.
Lord, thank You for creating humankind in Your image. Please never allow us to lose sight of who You are and the real presence of the principalities and powers at work behind the scenes attempting to lead us astray. Please remove the negative self-talk and spiritual warfare that takes place in our minds, and replace it with Your spiritual affirmations of who we indeed are under Your care, custody, and control. In Your Name and Spirit, we pray these things. May Your will not ours always materialize, now and forever. Amen.
Alberta Buchanan says
What a great example of how God works to make good out of a bad situation. Satan was at work with the outcome of the tournament, but God was greater in the example of Jon Rahm’s response to the outcome. Not only did Jon suffer a tremendous financial loss, but also lost the honor of winning back to back. Only God could have given him the response to the loss.
Harold Long says
Amen Bert