A Sabbath stand

LDS golfer forfeits shot at title by not playing on Sunday

Golfer Johnny Miller once said he'd love to be leading the U.S. Open or a similar tournament going into the final day and then tell everyone he wasn't going to play on Sunday because of his beliefs.

Miller never did anything like that during his successful PGA career, during which he played golf hundreds of times on Sunday.

However, Saturday afternoon, his youngest son, Todd, made such a stand — forfeiting his chance to play in the Men's State Amateur finals today at the Jeremy Golf & Country Club because he refuses to play golf on the Sabbath.

Miller had defeated Clay Bingham in Saturday's semifinals, but by choosing not to play today, Clark Rustand, a 24-year-old BYU student from Tucson, Ariz., was declared the State Am winner a day earlier than usual.

Miller, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who served an LDS mission to Chile, isn't the first athlete to refuse to compete for religious reasons.

One of the most famous examples is British runner Eric Liddell, who refused to run on the Sabbath during the 1924 Olympics. That story was featured into the Oscar-winning movie "Chariots of Fire."

In 1965, Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Sandy Koufax refused to pitch on the holiest Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, during the World Series. More recently, former BYU lineman Eli Herring passed up a large signing bonus and a likely NFL career because he didn't want to play on Sundays.

Miller, who will be a senior on the BYU golf team next year, said he made the decision not to play golf on Sundays while he was on his mission.

"What I do on Sunday is way more important than winning a tournament," he said. "I don't look down upon people who play on the Sabbath. I would just feel like a hypocrite in my own heart if I did. I made that decision, and I'm going to stick with that."

Miller's decision was surprising to everyone from tournament officials to his fellow golfers to the media covering the event.

Most said they respect him for sticking up for his beliefs, but many were also critical of him for not making the decision earlier and wiping out the final day of a tournament that has been played for 106 consecutive years, longer than any tournament in the world.

"It's pretty disrespectful to a tournament that's been around 106 years," said defending champion Tommy Sharp, who lost in the semifinals to Rustand. "He knew the tournament ended on a Sunday when he entered. It should not be changed because of one guy."

Miller had hoped the finals could be moved to Monday, and there was talk about making Miller and Rustand co-champions. But after meeting with each player for a few minutes, the Utah Golf Association board of directors declared Rustand the winner by forfeit.

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