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The Big Deal - That Shouldn't Have Been

The "big deal" in this case has nothing to do with Goldman Sachs, Wall Street, health care, or government bailouts. It did involve money, though, and that is part of the reason it made headlines. A couple of weeks ago, Brian Davis told the truth, acted with integrity, and forfeited $411,000 in the process.
 
You likely know the story. It happened during the Verizon Heritage golf tournament. Brian Davis and Jim Furyk were on the first hole of a playoff, after finishing the day with identical scores. Davis had holed a clutch 18-foot putt for birdie on the final hole to force the playoff. But he ran into trouble quickly.
 
Davis was in a hazard that had clusters of reeds all around. He took his time and pondered his options. Playing a 14-time PGA Tour winner such as Furyk, Davis - who has yet to win a PGA event - needed to make a spectacular shot. He and his caddie looked it over carefully. He struck the ball. Then he immediately called a PGA official named Slugger White to come over. He told him that he might have grazed one of the reeds on his backswing.
 
Nobody had called it. The officials standing nearby had not seen anything amiss. Jim Furyk had not protested. But Davis, although he hadn't felt it through the shaft of his club, believed he had seen it out of the corner of his eye.
 
White went to the TV monitor. The touch between club and reed was so slight that it took slow-motion replay to spot it. But there it was! And PGA Rule 13.4 - which prohibits moving any "impediment" with the start of a player's backswing - says that a player is to be assessed a two-stroke penalty for such an infraction. And that was the end of Davis' chance to win his first PGA event.
 
The honesty of Brian Davis became a "big deal" immediately. In some ways, it overshadowed the tournament outcome. E-mails and phone calls flooded in to Davis. Members of the PGA's senior tour phoned to thank him for restoring some sense of integrity to their sport. Teachers had students write essays. "He's class," said Slugger White of the man he had to penalize, "first class!"
 
As Davis himself admitted in the aftermath of his action, though, it should not have been a big deal at all. That's what Rule 13.4 says, and golf is played by rules. Shortcuts, cheating, taking advantage of one's opponent, winning by doing whatever you must - they are all part of the lore of life these days. But they have no place in a person of character. Davis wants to win, but fair and square.
 
That there was such a fuss over a golfer doing what he was supposed to do may be a commentary on the low expectations we have of one another.
 
"Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold" (Proverbs 22:1 NLT).
 
Rubel Shelly
 

(c) 2010 Rubel Shelly. Used by permission. From Rubel Shelly's "FAX of Life" printed each Tuesday.
Rubel Shelly has preached for the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in Nashville since 1978. During that time, he has also taught at David Lipscomb University and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is the author of more than 20 books, including several which have been translated into languages such as Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Russian.

http://www.RubelShelly.com

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Creation Q & A

Q: Does the Bible speak of a big bang bringing the universe into existence?

A: Certainly not! Most evolutionists believe in the big bang. They insist that billions of years ago, matter exploded and, as a result, the universe developed by chance, random processes. Eventually the sun formed, then a very hot earth.But as we've previously said, the Bible teaches that God made the earth first--before the sun, moon or stars! Also, the earth was covered with water when it was first formed--it wasn't a hot molten blob. We're also told that God didn't make the sun until the fourth day of Creation. So all of this is in great conflict with the big bang idea. There's no way a Christian can accept the big bang concept and add it to the Bible.But the Bible does talk about a 'Big Bang.' In 2 Peter, we're told that there's a time in the future when God will judge this earth with fire, when the elements will melt with fervent heat, and there will be a big noise. The evolutionists got it all wrong! The 'Big Bang' hasn't happened--it's on the way--as a judgment for man's sin.

Source: AnswersInGenesis.org