Only a select few can say that part of their story is winning the British Open.
Bill Rogers is one of them.
But Rogers’ winning of the coveted Claret Jug, as much as anything, serves his mission to bring more people to a saving Christian faith as well as to strengthen those who already do.
The 1981 Open Championship winner spoke to a group of a few dozen men Saturday morning at Wildflower Country Club to help spark the beginning of a local chapter of the Links Players International Fellowship.
LPI is a non-profit ministry whose stated goal is to link golfers around the world in Christ. Rogers took questions from Wildflower head golf professional Bill Euler, LPI South Region Director Randy Wolff and members of the audience while highlights of his Open Championship victory were shown in the back of the dining room.
Euler said the group plans to have breakfast meetings with a featured speaker the first Saturday of each month, primarily at Wildflower but occasionally out of town. It is open to everyone.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” he said.
Wolff, a former PGA Tour player in the early 1970s, said the ministry, “is not (just) a good idea; it’s a necessity. If all you’re doing is having breakfast and hearing an inspirational message, you’re missing the point. Let’s do life together.”
Rogers provided inspiration and instruction.
“We’re here to sharpen one another to be the best we can be,” said Rogers, 57, who was born in Waco. “My favorite Scripture is when Jesus says, ‘Where much is entrusted, much is required.’”
Rogers had much during his peak years on the PGA Tour in the late ’70s and early ’80s. He was at the top of the golf world in 1981. The British Open, that year at Royal St. George’s where he won by four shots over Bernhard Langer, was one of seven events he won worldwide that year.
The moppy-haired 30-year-old was named PGA Tour Player of the Year at a time when the likes of Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Raymond Floyd were still looming large on the circuit.
He settled in Texarkana after traveling the world with his family - his father was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force - and found he had a knack for golf. He wound up as part of the great combine of golfers to come out of the University of Houston and roomed with future Tour player Bruce Lietzke, who remains one of his best friends.
The initial fire for the Christian faith ended soon after it began in a parking lot in Tallahassee. Tour stalwarts such as Wally Armstrong, Larry Nelson and Rik Massengale were championing the early stages of a Wednesday night fellowship for Tour players, whose schedules make regular church attendance difficult. Nelson invited Rogers, who didn’t have a faith background to speak of, to the group meeting.
Though he was feeling an inner desire to go, the rookie was still sheepish about going to the study, a little embarrassed about even being seen there.
“I accepted the Lord in the parking lot right after that,” he said. “I was on fire. At the time I was kind of a hothead and foul-mouthed guy, but I stopped speaking like that. I met my wife later in Houston and she was wondering, ‘Who is this guy?’”
As it turned out, a mustard seed of his faith had been planted but didn’t really germinate for another 12 years.
“In two weeks I was back on my own again,” he said.
His career was blossoming. Rogers collected a victory at the Bob Hope Desert Classic in 1978 and was developing a reputation as one of the game’s better irons players. In 1981 he solidified himself on the world stage. He won the Sea Pines Heritage at Hilton Head and was second to David Graham at the U.S. Open before capturing the British Open, the World Series of Golf and the Texas Open.
He also won events in Australia, Japan and Wales. Rogers finished third in the 1982 U.S. Open and was in the Sunday pairing with Watson when he made the oft-replayed chip on No. 17 at Pebble Beach, ultimately lifting him to victory over Nicklaus.
Just as Rogers’ Christian zeal went dormant quickly, so did his Tour victories. He won only once more, the USF&G Classic in 1983. By ’88, the 37-year-old had had his fill of life on the PGA Tour.
However, the faith that was given birth in a Tallahassee parking lot was reignited and the fire has burned for 20 years. He views his signature victory in South England as “my platform.”
Rogers left the Tour but not the game. He served as director of golf at the San Antonio Country Club for many years and now serves as an assistant golf coach at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In the meantime, he assisted Ben Crenshaw and Lietzke on the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s unforgettable victory in 1999. He also plays periodically on the Champions Tour.
His real passion these days, though, is to grow men and women of God.
“I’ve committed myself to this,” Rogers said. “He moved me to this.
“The most powerful thing you can do is share your story.”
twaits@temple-telegram.com
