Born: March 6, 1976
Hometown: Beaverton, Ore.
Family:
Wife- Heather Children- C.C., Brady and Saylor
College: University of Oregon (1996-99) Turned Pro: 1999
PGA Tour Wins: 4
Note:
Visit www.bencranegolf.com to learn more about Crane's faith, family, career and foundation.
“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21
You could say I had the typical childhood growing up in a middle-class Christian family in Beaverton, Ore. But that only lasted until I was 8 years old, when my dad had an affair and turned our family's life upside down.
The following two years, as he moved out and left us alone, are still a bit foggy for me. But I remember during that time my mom really turned to God and poured into her relationship with Him. By the time I turned 10, my dad came back and asked my mom for forgiveness and if she’d be willing to work on their relationship. God stirred in both of their hearts to miraculously put our family back together.
Over the next seven years, my faith grew through my parents’ example and through our church’s annual mission trip to Mexico. We served and worshipped with people who didn’t have anything but were madly in love with Jesus, and that was all they needed.
During that period, I also fell in love with golf. My dad and I played nine holes each Sunday morning before heading to church. My grandpa also taught me about the game and let me join him and his friends on the course. When I was 14,
I decided I was going to be a professional athlete. Considering my size and athleticism, golf was the most logical choice for that pursuit, so I quit all other sports and started to work on golf as hard as I possibly could. I spent my summers from early morning until late at night playing golf, and then I would practice putting under the clubhouse lights. I became the best player on my high school team and was able to play golf in college.
My faith became a little stagnant during that time, until my junior year in college when Ron Mehl, a pastor I met at the Portland Golf Club, began mentoring me.
I had tons of junk in my life, but Ron chose not to ask about it. He just kept loving me and encouraging the Holy Spirit to work in me. He helped me grow as a spiritual leader and disciple, and he eventually married my wife, Heather, and me. (I met her around the same time while in college at Oregon.)
When my college playing days ended, I pursued my dream of playing on the PGA Tour. Like so many other players, there were many times where I doubted if it would happen. I played for a year on the mini tours and then for more than a year on the Nationwide (now Web.com) Tour. I picked up a couple of Nationwide wins and moved past the first two stages of tour school into the finals. Once I played well and won enough money, I was able to get my PGA Tour card in 2002.
Thirteen years later, I’ve felt God’s hand of blessing upon my career and my family in both times of joy and times of struggle. We have pressed into the Lord and found joy in Him in every circumstance. Ephesians 3:20-21—which was my verse of the week during my second-place finish at the Byron Nelson Classic during my rookie season—says that God will do infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask, hope, think or imagine, and to Him be the glory. That verse encapsulates my life and my career.
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. When life squeezes us, what is really inside comes out. When Christ had not eaten in 40 days and was pressed by the evil one, He didn’t even trust Himself, but He quoted the Word. If Christ needed the Word, how much more do I need to depend on it in my life, too?
Our PGA Tour chaplain, Larry Moody, has said the greatest lesson we can learn in life is dependence upon God. Through the highs and lows in my career, I've learned that. Everything that is great in my life, I owe it all to Him. That’s my story. Christ is everything that is good.
Originally published May 2014
Photos courtesy of the PGA Tour and Getty Images