Seventh Day Adventist Would Withdraw From US Amateur

An interesting story: Louis Bishop, an accomplished amateur golfer and a Seventh Day Adventist is faced with a tough decision this week at the US Amateur Championship at Southern Hills. His religious beliefs preclude him from playing golf on Saturday, so if he makes it that far in the tournament, he says he will withdraw.

And Bishop has a good chance of making the weekend. He was a top flight college player at UC-Davis, with a 70.66 per round average.

I admire Bishop’s religious strength. But I wonder about his decision to enter the tournament at all. If Bishop already has decided that he won’t play on the weekend, then he’s not really a competitor in the tournament. He’s just playing a couple of meaningless rounds. And he’s taking a spot from someone who has every intention of finishing.