Ben Crane blows it at Masters 'Amen Corner'
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Christian Examiner) – The "Amen Corner" wasn't working so well for Christian pro-golfer Ben Crane at Augusta National yesterday when he was said to have hit "one of the worst shots ever," coming up short on the famous par-3 12th hole.
Kyle Porter, a golf writer for CBS Sports took a shot at Crane while at the same time acknowledging it's tough to "make fun of anybody playing in the Masters."
'[B]ut this is spectacular in its ineffectiveness. I mean, holy cow," Porter added.
Crane sent his ball into the water from the front of the 155-yard-long marquee. He went on to make a triple bogey, and five shots over-par in his first day of the 2015 Masters tournament.
This is not the first time 39-year-old Crane has been in a tough spot, however.
Talking candidly about being a hard situation he went through as a result his family life at home in Beaverton, Ore., Crane said in an article since that time when he also "fell in love with golf" his faith also grew.
"I decided I was going to be a professional athlete," he said.
When life squeezes us, what is really inside comes out. Everything that is great in my life; I owe it all to Him. That's my story. Christ is everything that is good
Going off to college, he quit all other sports and worked hard on playing golf.
"My faith became a little stagnant during that time," said Crane, who recalled meeting a mentor who encouraged him and helped him to grow spiritually.
After his days playing college golf ended, Crane pursued his dream of playing on the PGA Tour. He got his tour card in 2002.
Last May Crane said he has "felt God's blessing" in his life, career and family – in good times and in bad.
"One of my prayers is that I would have an unquenchable thirst and desire for God's Word. That is the life, the peace, the joy and the formula I constantly think about, Crane wrote.
"When life squeezes us, what is really inside comes out," he said. "Everything that is great in my life; I owe it all to Him. That's my story. Christ is everything that is good."