Tony Evans stated . . . .
“Now remember, for every spiritual principle, there is a physical illustration.”
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Who: Rory McIlroy
- He is the only child of Rosie McDonald and Gerry McIlroy
- Born May 1989
- 32-year-old, Northern Irishman
- He turned professional in 2007, at the age of 18
- Married in 2017
- Lives in Jupiter, Florida — golf country
- Grand Slam Win in 2014 — Grand Slam: Won Both The Open & PGS Championship
- 19 PGA wins
- In 2017, “McIlroy was the joint sixth highest-paid sportsperson that year, having earned US$50 million, of which $34 million came from endorsements.”
Where: This Month: Competing at The 2021 British Open, at age 32,
First time – $2 Million record sum in prize money
What: Rory McIlroy’s Philosophy Of Winning as he goes into the British Open of 2021 — after his 2014 win
“On 20 July, McIlroy won the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio García. The victory was the player’s third major championship of his career, having led the field after each round of the tournament. McIlroy and Tiger Woods are the only golfers to win both The Silver Medal and The Gold Medal at The Open Championship. His third major title having won the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship, McIlroy became the third European to win three different majors and joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as one of three golfers since the first Masters Tournament in 1934 to win three majors by the age of 25.” — Wikipedia
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“McIlroy hasn’t forgotten the formula that carried him to victory in the . . . . . 2014 Open Championship and the 2014 PGA. . . . . ‘to create the opportunity, you have to be up there somewhere with a round to play . . . . All anyone asks of themselves is to give themselves a chance on Sunday . . . That’s it. So the only way you can win is to give yourself that chance. And I gave myself a chance. I was right there on Sunday. So I’m getting there.‘” — Golf Digest / July 2021
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“It feels absolutely incredible. I’m happy I gave myself a cushion because there were a lot of guys coming at me especially Sergio [Garcia] and Rickie Fowler.
“Just to be sitting here and looking at this thing and having my name on it, is a great feeling. “It hasn’t sunk in yet and I’m going to enjoy it and let it sink in tonight in the company of my friends and family.” — cnn – 2014
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Key Biblical Thoughts:
- running the race
- winners and losers / i.e., Joseph & Samson
- key Bible characters
- people
- finishers
- ministry
- Sunday
- the Christian life
- temptation
- margin / cushion
- make no provision for the lust of the flesh
- failure / falling
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Sermonic Example:
[Include the pictures and/or details you find useful]
Now listen to what Rory McIlroy said about winning the British Open in 2014 — as he goes into the British Open this month — “I gave myself cushion“! — he had a six shot lead going into the final round! It was that cushion that Rory McIlroy relied upon and seeks to establish as part of his game, which he says leads to his victory and past victories.
— “Garcia pulled within two shots with four holes to play.”
— “Fowler, playing in the final group for the second straight major, didn’t do anything wrong. He just didn’t do enough right to make up a six-shot deficit.”
It was the cushion! Because cushion gives you the advantage. It allows you to make some mistakes and still win! There are a lot of variables when playing golf, and the cushion helps you lessen the impact of those variables! Rory McIlroy states that the same formula will be at work again as he enters the British Open in just a few weeks from today!
That is no different with many sports, and it is no different with life and living, and it is no different with the Christian life. You can call it cushion, margin, to create opportunity, or keeping a good distance from the edge . . . In the end, the formula mattered — Distance mattered!
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Other Information & Links:
“Going into next week’s Open at Royal St. George’s that philosophy will come in handy on the first tee next Thursday. Even if McIlroy’s practice rounds over the Kent links have gone less than satisfactorily. One day before the first round of the last Open at RSG, he played with Darren Clarke, who would go on to be “champion golfer of the year” five days later.
“At that point it didn’t look like Darren was anywhere near winning the golf tournament,” recalls McIlroy. “But that’s the great thing about golf. You just never know. I think the big thing with St. George’s, though, is you know that you know you might get some unlucky breaks. But you’re going to get some good breaks, too. The ball is going to take some different bounces here and there. But if you just pack your patience and understand that it’s the same for everyone, the good and the bad bounces should all level out over 72 holes.” — golf digest
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At the British Open of 2014: “I’m immensely proud of myself,” McIlroy said after his two-shot victory Sunday that was never really in doubt. “To sit here, 25 years of age, and win my third major championship and be three-quarters of the way to a career Grand Slam … yeah, I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly.”
McIlroy won by two shots over Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to become the first start-to-finish winner since Woods at St. Andrews in 2005. Even with one major left this year, the Northern Irishman already is looking ahead to Augusta National next April for a shot at the slam.
“I’ve really found my passion again for golf,” McIlroy said. “Not that it ever dwindled, but it’s what I think about when I get up in the morning. It’s what I think about when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then trophies like this are within my capability.” — augusta
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— http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/20/sport/golf/golf-british-open-mcilroy-wins/index.html
–https://www.augusta.com/masters/story/news/latest-news/mcilroy-triumphs-british-open
— http://www.rorymcilroy.com/career.html#!
— https://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/04/sport/golf/golf-rory-mcilroy-uspga-number-1/index.html
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