When It's Out Of Your Control

After Thursday's opening round at Quail Hollow, it is safe to say that the leaderboard at the 2025 PGA Championship looks a bit peculiar.

For the first time in over three decades at a major tournament, no player in the top 10 in the world rankings finished the opening round in the top 10 on the leaderboard.

One could argue that the course's subpar playing conditions were a primary reason for the relatively poor performances of the game's elites.

With three days of heavy rain hitting the Charlotte area before the start of the tournament, the ground at Quail Hollow was understandably soft and wet on Thursday. Those conditions led to many "mud balls" (golf balls caked in mud), making them significantly more challenging for players to control.

Some participants in the field had been hoping that PGA of America officials would ultimately decide to play "preferred lie," which would have negated the impact of the weather conditions on the player's performance.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was one such player who was not thrilled about the decision not to play "preferred lie." However, despite playing in conditions that were not optimal, Scheffler still tried to focus on simply going out and doing his job.

Scheffler told media members, "I don't make the rules. I deal with what the rules decisions are. I could have let that bother me today when you got a mud ball and it cost me a couple shots. It cost me possibly two shots on one hole, and if I let that bother me, it could cost me five shots the rest of the round. But today I was proud of how I stayed in there, didn't let it get to me, and was able to play some solid golf on a day in which I was a bit all over the place and still post a score."

Though many players would have preferred that officials made a different decision, the decision was out of their control, and all they could do was focus on giving their best effort.

We understand that so much is outside our control, especially regarding our interactions with others. We can't determine how people will act towards us, their attitudes, priorities, or how they respond to our acts of kindness.

Thankfully, because we cannot control other people's behaviors and actions, we do not need to be supremely concerned with the results of our interactions with them. Instead, our primary focus should be on controlling what we can and ensuring we glorify God with our behavior.

As difficult as it can be when people do not interact with us in the way we desire, we must always focus on the Lord and what He desires. When we do so, we will be able to endure challenging conditions and interactions in a way that is pleasing to Him.

1 Peter 3:14-17 (ESV) says, "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil."

In our fallen state, it can be tempting for us to try to justify our sinful responses to other people if we feel like they instigated the situation. However, we should never forget that God will hold us accountable for how we respond to others, even when we have been sinned against.

1 Peter 3:9 (NIV) says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

Even when people visibly show anger towards us, we do not have the license to return that anger and aggression to them. Rather, we must control our response and act in a way that demonstrates kindness and gentleness.

Proverbs 15:18 (NASB) reminds us, "A hot-tempered person stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute."

Today, let's embrace that God only holds us accountable for what we can control. So, rather than getting flustered at the circumstances, we can't manage, let’s focus our energy and attention towards doing all we can to act in a way that pleases our good God and Savior.

I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me focus on being faithful in everything I do. Please give me the strength and grace to act obediently even when things are not going as I desire. May it all be for Your glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.