A career-defining win. A name etched into MGA history. In this week’s DROP, we sit down with David Pastore, fresh off completing the elusive MGA Slam with a dramatic victory at the 110th Met Open Championship at Meadow Brook Club. Pastore becomes just the fourth player ever to win the Ike, Met Amateur, and Met Open – joining legends like Jerry Courville Sr. and Johnson Wagner. We dive into his journey from winning the Met Junior at age 14 to capturing the biggest title of his career in front of a packed New York crowd. His final-round 70 wasn’t flashy, but it was clutch – highlighted by key birdies at 10 and 12, and steady nerves to edge Ryan McCormick by one shot.
We talk legacy, emotion, and the mindset that got him across the line. Then, we look ahead to what’s next for Pastore as he eyes Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, DP World Tour Q-School, and the next chapter in his professional career. Whether you’re chasing titles or just love seeing homegrown talent rise to the moment, this episode is pure gold. Tap in and tee up.
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You guys just like keep coming around. I just keep hearing about you guys. And I might need to tell Ryan to cut that up a little bit and just put it in my audio for my phone. First of all, I love the game. I had a passion to play the game, not only football, but I I love the game of golf and and and what it lends to a person and the friendships you develop on the golf course. It’s been a pleasure being on the drop. I wish you guys all the best down the road. Someone like you, you have that golf itch like a lot of us do. I keep track of you and you are moving. You are on the move. So, listen. I’m a big New Jersey golf guy. Very kind, Mike. And you, too, Ryan. It’s a pleasure to be among just a couple of Jersey boys here talking about something we love. All the best. I really enjoyed it. This is the Drop Podcast where we talk golfing in the Garden State. I’m Mike Porro and this is Ryan Kulot. What’s up, Drop Pod people? Welcome back to Interview Thursday. Uh Mike and I are excited to have uh our guest, our guest today is David Pastor. He is uh an absolute stick in the in the I would say in the Met area in the in the you know the the minor leagues of golf that we have. Um he won the Met Open this year over our guy Ryan McCormack. Um those that were listening a couple weeks ago we had Matt Low on. We talked about in Matt’s interview about how how Matt lost um to a hole in one and David is the hole-in-one guy. So you know we talk from we get a different angle from that today. So yeah, it was really cool to have him on and and um he’s got a busy fall. He’s he’s trying to do, you know, Q school on the DP World Tour, Q school on on the PGA tour. So, uh we kind of caught him in in a good time and and you know, wishing him best of luck, but we had a really really good time with the interview. Yeah, I mean anytime that you know someone completes a career grand slam in our neck of the woods, I know we had to cross the border a few states to get to Connecticut to get to him, but nonetheless, we’re going to find a way to get him on because the MGA holds a lot of events right here in our backyard. So, another good interview with a good person. Yeah, no doubt. So, without further ado, here’s our interview with David Pastor. Enjoy. [Music] [Applause] Think about your caddy on the course. Their job is to take decisions and stress off your shoulders so you can focus on the shot in front of you. For the Drop Podcast, that’s where Thrive comes in. Your trusted partner in technology outsourcing. Just like a great caddy, Thrive knows the course ahead. They lift the burden of it off your shoulders so you can stay locked in on what matters most, running your business. The truth is one-third of businesses will unknowingly hand over sensitive data to thieves this year. And when it happens, it’s not just files at risk. It’s your customers trust, your bank accounts, even the very foundation of your company. The damage can be catastrophic, and you often won’t realize it until the ransom demand is sitting in your inbox. That’s why your business needs thrive. At the drop, we rely on their managed security services to proactively protect our network, monitor threats around the clock, and give us the confidence to focus on our work. Because when it comes to cyber security, it’s not a matter of if, it’s when. Get your no obligation security recommendations and consultation today at thriveextgen.com/thedrop. That’s thriveextgen.com/thedrop. [Music] [Applause] All right. So today on the Drop Podcast, we’re joined by David Pastor, fresh off his historic 2025 Met Open victory that cemented his place in MGA history with the elusive career slam. David, thank you so much for coming on today’s show. Thank you guys for having me. David, we’re excited to to have you. I mean, Grand Slam is is huge, so this is a you know, I don’t know if you know, but you’re a big fish for us. Awesome. and you’re venturing out of Jersey. I’m happy to broaden the horizon. Listen, I I know it, you know, Connecticut is home for you, but for guys like us when we’re talking, you know, golfing in the Garden State and the MGA being like right in our, you know, backyard in terms of events that they have here. You know, I said to Ryan, whoever wins the Met Open, we’re getting them on. And, you know, I said to you in the pre-show, I was looking for Ryan McCormack’s name to pop up top of the leaderboard, but you took down your old roommate. So, a huge part of what we’re going to talk about, but I do want to start at the very beginning. A guy like you is a very good golfer. We’ve talked to so many guys that have sat in your chair that are unbelievable in what they do. But how did you start in this game? How did you say, you know what, I’m going to make this a career in this game? Tell us about your journey here. I would say, you know, my dad loved the game. Um he was never a competitive golfer but played multiple times a week and he kind of put a club in my hands from a you know very young age probably three or four years old. Um started competing at 11 and um won my very first tournament which was you know a good sign and something that got me you know into the game and excited about it. And um I have two younger brothers. We’re all two years apart. We all competed and played division one. So, it was just it was a great family activity for us to kind of, you know, all compete and play against each other. Um, my dad didn’t play as much kind of once, you know, he had kids and was working more. So, it would have been nice to have, you know, play play as a as a force more. But, um, we kind of grew up playing at the first TE facility at, um, Metropolitan New York in the Bronx at Mashaloo. And after school, we’d go, all three of us would play, they’d caddy for us, my parents. So, you know, I have a lot of great memories of us playing for $3.50 at at Marshall. That’s Yeah, I was going to say I I absolutely love that. If if you’re uh anyone who listens to the show knows how much I love the family part of golf because I don’t have that, right? My dad’s not a golfer. My brothers aren’t golfers. you know, I I kind of randomly pick up the sport in high school and and um you know, I I would say not successful since then, but you know, it’s it’s uh it’s been fun. But I I I love that when there’s a family side to the to someone’s story. Yeah. I mean, it’s a great it’s a great game you could share with people of all ages of, you know, it’s a great bonding, you know, experience. And like I said, I just have so many memories of of that, of you know, tournaments, of mom and dad driving me to, you know, whatever. And um, you know, my brother, my youngest brother played professionally also. So just just a lot of golf in our family. What kind of So as you, you know, you win your first tournament, that’s like, all right, you think you’re just going to dominate the world. It’s like going to Atlantic City and you win your first hand, you won $1,000 and say, “Mom, this could be career.” Um, but you win your first junior tournament. talk to me about like what transpires next through high school, getting to Virginia, things of that nature. Let’s say, you know, to build on your first question, I had a friend who was a swimmer kind of elementary, middle school, and, you know, I remember going into his room and he had all these, you know, medals and trophies all over his room. And I kind of like that he kind of focused on one thing and he was, you know, really good at that rather than maybe playing three or four sports. I know that, you know, TPI and a lot of, you know, it’s it’s pushed to be athletic and play a lot of sports nowadays and it’s it’s, you know, better arguably better for golf, but for whatever reason, I wanted to kind of focus on one thing and and try to be good at it. So, I don’t really know why, you know, it turned out to be golf. Like, I love playing baseball. I love, you know, throwing football around. I But for whatever reason, golf, I think maybe for the better, just cuz it’s kind of suits my personality. you know, I’m I’m very level, kind of boring at times, and it just, you know, kind of lends itself to the game and um you know, a little bit like a little bit of that early success obviously, you know, got me interested and saying, you know, hey, I’m I’m good at this. But it was kind of, you know, obviously the dream was always to kind of play professionally and at the highest level, but I wouldn’t say it was ever guaranteed. you know, it’s kind of always, oh, you know, I’m having success. Let’s try to play in college. Oh, you know, then college was a, you know, an up and down experience where I, you know, eventually kind of found some footing. And then it was the same thing. It’s like, oh, you know, having success here. Let’s try to play professional. But I wouldn’t say, you know, when I was 14, I was dominating and I was I’m going straight to the PGA Tour. I mean, you say you weren’t dominating. I I you know I I I guess I kind of argue a little bit there because if my research is correct, you are the youngest to win the Met Jr. at the age of 14 specifically. Um and you did win the damn thing twice. Yeah, I guess that was a little misstep there. Well, you know, I did I had success in the Met area, but you know, compared to a national and international level, it’s you know, the meta is incredible. the courses, the players, the the competition, but you know, as as a younger player, I always felt that, you know, the southern players, guys who could play year round, always had like a leg up on me. I I think that’s true. they, you know, they’re playing in the south, they have, you know, 12 months that they can play from. Whereas, you know, up here, you know, even on a in a in a good golfing weather season or year, you know, you’re still not playing December, January, February. So, yeah, I mean, that was the main reason I actually we um my family took a big sacrifice. I went to IMG Academy, you know, David Leb better academy for my sophomore year of high school, which um you know, my dad stayed here, mom and took me and my brothers down. It was it was only for a year, but my brothers went to public school while I, you know, focused on on the golf and the academy. So, um you know, the sole reason was because I felt like I needed to, you know, play year round and, um it was, you know, it was a great experience and Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I I I know the, you know, our Met area, you know, the weather’s not always ideal, but I mean, man, we could go on a slew of names of guys that have become very good golfers. Um, one playing right now in the RDER Cup that that, you know, who’s done unbelievable things. And we can even talk about, you know, the mid game as well. You got dudes after dudes. So, I I understand the weather is not conducive if you’re looking to do this maybe year round, but as you kind of, you know, I don’t want to say got older, but you started to look down the road, you know, I think you you’ve done 2014 when I look back was just an unbelievable year, right? Yeah, it was. Um, I mean, Matt Low recently was on the show and told us how you won the tournament on him, you know? Yeah. Talk to me a little bit about the year 2014 for you. Yeah, that was a huge stepping stone. Um, my college career, like I said, was kind of filled with ups and downs. Um, I showed promise my second two years, you know, competing at Virginia. Um, but, you know, I was kind of always in the shadow of Denny McCarthy, who’s, you know, had a great career so far. And I chose not to turn pro that summer, like right after school be, you know, like Ryan for example, turned pro and played Canada right away, right out of school. I kind of took the idea of let’s just see, you know, how the summer goes. If maybe I can play well, I can, you know, maybe drum up some interest for fundraising or just maybe USM. Just just kind of see what happens. Not really in a super rush. So, um, that’s kind of what I did. I won my uh only college event that that spring and then kind of just parlayed it into um first tournament was Westchester Open, you know, which I won as an amateur. That was, you know, incredible. Made a great thought on the last hole to win by one. Um won the Ike early that summer with my brother on the bag and, you know, that was obviously incredible, you know, winning the Ike stroke play tournament. I played great. that was at Upper Monontlair. Um, just played really well there. Um, and you know, really I’d say I had kind of had a few seasons where I wasn’t playing great. You know, I I actually took an internship and worked for the the previous summer. So, I didn’t compete much. 2013, 2012, I struggled. 11 I wasn’t playing great. So really when I kind of won the Ike and you know was you know doing well in the points race and all that it was kind of back to you know 200910 when I was you know probably one of the top juniors in the area when I won the Carter Cup I won my second M junior. Um, so yeah, winning the Ike was really important and then I finished second in the Connecticut Open and then like right after that maybe like the next day was the start of the Medam and Medam just because of the theatrics and everything and and what it meant on top of the other tournaments was probably the highlight of the summer just at the creek just you know incredible venue just the setup was amazing course was like rock hard was so cool to play match play. Um it rained kind of between I don’t know second and third matches so the course changed but um you know that was kind of I remember just being really nervous looking at the points trying to calculate you know what I needed to you know stay ahead in the in the player of the year because that was something I really I really wanted and and I knew like I said for the fundraising and just to kind of it would be a big deal to win win the player of the year. Um, so I remember being, you know, really nervous and really, you know, wanted to play well and got to the final match against Matt and, you know, it was up and down. It was close match. I had a chip in maybe on the second 18 that really kind of put me ahead and then yeah, seven 35th hole of the match. 17’s a par three there. I was one up. Matt hit a good shot, maybe 10, 12 feet. So, you know, I’m thinking like, let’s just try to give ourselves a putt at it, you know, so that if I can birdie on top of him, that would, you know, send me to 181 up in a good spot. And, um, it’s kind of in between nine and pitching wedge. And I remember my brother Paul again was on the bag and he convinced me to hit pitching wedge and I hit it, you know, just just past the pin and just trickled in and disappeared. So, incredible to win a tournament like that with a hole in one to, you know, a walk-off hole in one, you know, was is on the Golf Channel. It was just just a really cool experience, you know, like mom and dad were there and just friends and family. It was like a you know that picture of me kind of jumping up hold, you know, is just something I’ll never forget. Well, and the way Matt talked about it was like he saw as it was trickling and getting closer to the hole, he’s like, “Okay, well, just go in now because I I don’t, you know, I want to be part of something special. If I’m going to lose, let’s do it in big fashion.” So, you did it in big fashion. at a special spot. At a special spot, man. I mean, every every tournament the MJ plays is at a special spot, you know, like I’ve played all, you know, all over the world and country is just like the tournaments they play, you know, the the sites for the Met Open, Ike, the Metam, I mean, every single one is like it would be a highlight in any other section, you know. So, and that’s why Mike and I started this podcast. The golf in this area is is just dripping with excellence. Yeah. I mean, I I play at Fairview Country Club. It’s where we grew up catting and when I turned pro, they gave me privileges there. And every time I’m, you know, traveling away on tour or whatever and I come back, it’s just like I can’t believe how pure the fairways are and the greens. It’s just like, you know, the grass and the, you know, the ability for the courses to put the greenskeeping, you know, cruise and it’s just it’s just unlike anything else. That’s all there is to it. You know, [Applause] Sugarloaf Social Club has been a brand favorite of ours for quite some time. Here’s what we love about Sugarloaf Social Club. They’re a Virginia brand that actually gets New Jersey golf. They built this whole hidden gem map highlighting underrated courses across the country and Jersey is all over it. They’re shining a light on the tracks we’ve been playing and loving for years. Everything they make is just cool quality and genuinely fun to wear. They’ve got you’ve covered head to toe. Literally from hats down to socks. And they’re more than just an apparel brand. 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[Music] [Applause] And then as we kind of hit that fast forward button out, you know, from from 2014 to to this year, you know, and and I know you had some close calls at this tournament specifically. um that you know I watched a lot of your stuff and you know seemed like that was your nightmare every night because that’s all you could rethink about but now you tee it up here and you know you know like just like anybody you talk about the career grand slam in the MJ events and you got the Ike you got the medam you need that elusive Met open heading into the tournament kind of where were your thoughts at where was your game at you know what were you thinking heading into this thing I would say my game was at a place I’d kind of been trending and feel like I’ve been playing a little bit better and I was really struggling with back pain in my game earlier this year and really the last few years. So I I went to go see a specialist um Gray Cook and Jeff Lo down in Virginia in May and they really kind of since then I feel like I’ve kind of turned the corner and been seeing progress. So I I played decent um like solid rounds but not to you know win or anything in the Mass Open, New Hampshire, Connecticut um all those like I was you know playing consistent top 10s. So seeing signs that my game was better but not um you know nothing special. Um you know I I Monday qualified for one Canada event but didn’t do well. So, you know, I was optimistic that my I’ve been feeling better. Just won. Um, but I didn’t really, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to win. Um, I, you know, it’s a tournament that I feel like I’ve been capable of winning for a while, but just really, you know, I mentioned this in the MGA interview that I had seen a video of Matt Dobbins, who’d won, you know, a few times now, and he said something about, you know, he finally won it when he kind of gave up trying to win it, which really, honestly, is kind of where I was at with the tournament, you know, really going back to 2014 because when I’d won the Ike and the Metam Um Johnson Wagner is the only one who’s won all three in the same year. So I that was only that was my second MET Open, but that’s really when my you know infatuation with trying to win the Met Open started because obviously I wanted to be the second guy to win all three. Um but um yeah, you know, I I played well in tournament for years. Like I have a good friend David Gordon who works at ESPN. He does the stats for Sports Center. And I remember a couple years ago he put together this thing of all my stats in the Met Open and you know the gist was that I had played well but not not won it. You know like I’ I’d never miss a cut. You know I always make a nice check and but yeah it’s just like it’s a tournament that you want to win so bad that you know it’s you I don’t want to say you get in your way because I did play well. that just for whatever reason just didn’t happen, you know, and um yeah, I mean, I could go more into the the two close calls I had, but really that’s kind of where I was at going into this this year. It was like, let’s just, you know, let’s just kind of have fun. Like, it’s it’s a great course. It’s a great event. Like, I’m playing well. Let’s just play well and see what happens. I I wasn’t, you know, expecting to win, honestly. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think that’s that’s I don’t want to focus on the negative because let’s talk about the damn win. I mean, let’s let’s talk about the positives here. Um because you got to hold the trophy at the very end, but after round one, you fire 68. You know, it’s it’s tied for the lead after round one. Yeah. Listen, I I know how em I ride the emotional roller coaster. I’m up and I’m down. I don’t know how you guys just stay this level keen. Like, I don’t I make a birdie, I’m going to shoot 65. I make a bogey, I’m shooting 95. But you shoot 68, right? That competitor inside you has got to think like, hey, is this it? Like you shoot that 68. What are the thoughts? My thoughts immediately were kind of like, wow. Like, you know, I played solid, but I didn’t expect to be leading. So, it was kind of like a good sign that my game is maybe like better than I think almost or it’s in a good spot even though because it’s it’s hard to tell like sometimes you play well but you don’t do that great you know compared to other guys or sometimes you play poorly but it’s you know it’s hard to tell it’s hard to gauge how your game stacks against any course or or whatever. So, you know, and I the front nine there that that that first round I I didn’t score well, but I felt like I was playing solid. So, I was proud that I really I hung tough. Like I I could have easily been two or three over through 10 or 11 holes and I was I was only one over and I just I stayed really patient and I I made a great birdie on three and then I made a long eagle putt on five which kind of jump started the round and birdied the next hole and really I could have had one or two more coming in but to be tied for the lead after the first round it was also playing in the afternoon you know it was windier it’s always tougher to play in the afternoon in the morning So, I just knew that like I was in a good spot because it didn’t feel like I had a career round, but I’m leading the tournament. So, just but also, you know, one round and I played in the final group two years in a row. So, I knew even with a good second round that didn’t mean anything. So, you knew what you were in for. Yeah. I just, you know, it was just a good start. That’s nothing more, nothing less. So, how did your how did your experience in in those two rounds did it do you feel like it helped you like keep you calm or know what to expect? I mean, it is you said it before, it’s it’s a spectacle. Do you feel like you kind of leaned on any past experience to to kind of make make this an easier time or kind of push you to victory this time? I would say really when I played with Andy Swabota in uh at Hudson um he really just like played great that day like final round I think he was leading by one um but he I just it wasn’t like he you know played safe and made pars and you know got the win like he birdied 15 or 16 like 250 yard par three he just played solid the whole day. So, it kind of showed me that you got to go out and get it. Like, you need to play well. You can’t just play great the first day and then just coast in, you know? So it um and then so yeah I mean obviously yeah all the experiences helped but just you kind of got to balance it also with the idea that you know sometimes you don’t have to play perfect you know like Dr. Rotella always talks about when you know you dream of winning a major, you think you’re just going to stripe every drive, you hit it to tap in and you make birdie, you know, on every hole. But really, you know, winning is more about that par save or that bogey save or, you know, how you came back from the bogey or you were losing the round, but then you fought back with some birdies. So really, I’d say that’s kind of that was kind of what did it more for me in that experience because in the final round, not to jump too far ahead, but the final round I you got off to a solid start. It was a really tough windy day, but I bogeied um six and seven to go one over on the round. And and the seventh was a good bogey. Like I drove it in trouble. I had to chip out. I misagree with my third. I got up and down for bogey. So that really could have been an area where I either press or I say no, you know, I threw away my chance because I, you know, I didn’t have a perfect round, but I, you know, again, stayed patient, kind of hung tough, waited for the birdies to come. And you know, the longer I’ve played, the more I’ve seen that that’s that’s kind of how you win tournaments more so than you know, I wish it was just like you press a button and you know, you could turn it on and make parties whenever you want. But I think, you know, even for Tiger, that’s not that’s not how it was. Otherwise, you just win every time, you know. I wish there was that too where I could flip it and make ours. Yeah. And you know, second round I really I had a I got on bogey trade on the back nine. and I’ve made four in a row. So, you know, it’s it’s the same thing just on a different scale. You know, whether it’s day to day, hole to hole, week to week, month to month, like it’s just, you know, in golf, it’s it’s important to forget about the bad and just put go to the next hole. So, you know, I did that again after kind of a rough second day. I forgot about it, came out fresh, and then did it again in the round on the final day. Yeah. Yeah, I mean specifically when you’re talking like in the round there, you go bogey bogey on six and seven, you know, and to your earlier point, you kind of could, you know, throw the towel and be like, here we go, just another one of these sad stories, but you go birdie nine, you birdie 10, you birdie 13, and now all of a sudden, I don’t know how you are, but I would be my eyes are glued to that damn leaderboard. I’m seeing is is Mike Porro’s name climbing or dropping? You get to, you know, you make that third birdie there in 12. Are you looking at a leaderboard? Do you got the phone out? Are you Are you checking things? I was not checking things, but Oh, how do you do that? How do you do that? I mean, I How do you guys just play golf and not know where you are? You know, this is me. I’m I know. I can’t I’m getting fired up over here listening to how calm you are. I’m ready to run through the computer. To be honest though, I you know, guys start taking pictures, more people start following. You have an idea. I knew that. And to be honest, it was very strange, but I started tearing up like after I hit the second shot on 12 just because I couldn’t explain it. It’s just like part of it was almost like I’m so satisfied with how I’m playing that even if I don’t win, this is just it’s just nice to be like in this position playing well. But you also I just just kind of like had a feeling that you know like today was I was going to do it you know like the way I was swinging and you know I wasn’t I don’t even know if I was in the lead at that point. I hadn’t even made the putt. I still had six holes to go but I just like and and honestly I I’ve done that before in other tournaments where I didn’t win. So, it was kind of stupid, but um you know, my dad was following all 18 holes and my brother, my middle brother was there following me and Paul and he was kind of going back and forth following Paul. Paul was like an hour ahead of me. So, he wanted to go watch Paul for a few holes before he finished and he was like, you know, trying to get my dad to come follow. He was like, for for whatever reason, my dad on the front n said like, “No, like I’m staying with David. He’s he’s going to do this today.” So, it’s like things you can’t really explain, you know, like how or why, but you just like you have a feeling and um I definitely, you know, things got ratcheted up when I made that birdie, you know, that’s that’s at that point it was like this is my tournament to win or lose. So, no, I wasn’t looking, but I knew I was in position to to finish the tournament. you know, if I played solid and I really thought I needed one more birdie because three or four was kind of, you know, four was leading to start the day and there were a good amount of players in between me and the lead, you know, that I felt like someone could play, you know, even par or whatever and and I really wanted to get to three or four. Um, but the last few holes were playing a lot tougher than they had the first few days. They were into the wind and, you know, I was hitting good shots. I just kind of didn’t get anything to drop those last few holes. But um yeah, just just incredible. Now, obviously coming down the stretch, you finished before Ryan does, right? And and you know that 18’s a par five and you know he’s only one back and and guys on your level eat up parfs, right? You look at par fives like I’m making birdies here now. What is the mindset like as Ryan is playing that final hole there? Are you warming up? Are you sneaking a peek at the 18th green? Are you crossing his fingers from a friend’s perspective? Hey, listen. Let me have this one. I need to get it done right now. Like, are you looking to hit a golf ball at him? Like, what are you trying to do to kind of like find a way to hold that damn trophy at the end? So, I did check right after I finished and I saw that I was leading. I was a little surprised again. And I thought that I needed kind of one more and I thought maybe there were a few guys tied and um so I saw that there was maybe two or three guys who were one one shot back and needed to do something kind of coming in. Um you know again 18 is a par five but it’s a tough hole. I didn’t birdie at any of the three rounds. It was playing into the win the final day. I had to make like a solid par to you know um but Ryan you know was a big hitter. I knew that he could easily make a birdie on the hole. Um so I was definitely um staying, you know, focused. Like I went to the range, I was warming up. It was it was cool to be in one of those situations you see on TV all the time where the guys are like, you know, hitting balls and then they they find out, you know, that that it’s over because you’re trying to stay focused and hit putts and think about what hole you’re going to play for the playoff. And I, you know, I let my brothers and my dad kind of do the watching. they they stayed on 18 and kind of were giving me updates as it as it was happening. But um yeah, again, it was just one of those cool situations where like one by one guys kind of, you know, were being crossed off the list and and uh I did think Ryan was going to do it just, you know, us living together this past this past winter. It I thought we were going to have a roommate play off and and I know how much the tournament means to him. I mean, he told me, you know, I think when he was still an amateur at playing field, he had one that really let get away. So, I knew how badly he wants to win tournament. Um, really, I was just kind of telling myself that I’m in a great spot even if I’m in a playoff. Like, I can still get it done. It would be fun to have a playoff against, you know, a good friend like that for this tournament. And and either way, I was happy with how I played, you know, again, like I I don’t want to put too much on whether I won or lost in the playoff, you know, whether it would be a good or good event or not. So, um, but yeah, it’s just incredible to have, again, my family there, you know, to give me that hug when it was over. some some of my buddies. Ryan came up to me after, you know, the Ballow brothers who me and Paul have had plenty of battles with and are great players and high school friends and um it’s just just really special, you know, something I’ll remember forever. So, I I want to ask about the the you and Ryan’s relationship. Yeah. You you said you guys were roommates over the winter. Where do you guys where do you meet? Have you been, you know, friends for a long time or just kind of, you know, met on tours and and, you know, sparked up a little friendship? What’s the What’s the background there? We’re the same age, so just grew up playing MTA events, you know, for since we were 12 years old or whatever. Um, I’d say I maybe had a little bit of the upper hand like as a junior. Um, and then but he’s, you know, got to the BJ tour and played, you know, some great golf the last few years. Um, but we roommed and played together our first my first year as a pro 2015 up in Canada. So, you know, we the last few years with him playing Cornferry and PGA, you know, we’ve been on different schedules. I’ve been playing Canada and Latin. So, the last few years I haven’t seen him as much. So, it was great to kind of reconnect this winter in Jacksonville. Um, I’ve spent 10 years in West Palm, but was in Jacksonville this this winter. So, um, it’s great to just be around him and, you know, learn from him. He’s, you know, we just picked up a lot of little things here and there. Um, we didn’t, you know, we weren’t, we were never in the apartment like at the same time much, but um, I feel happy. I’m looking forward to going back again this winter. We’ll have to ask him. Do you prep like he does by playing the video games? You know, this winter. So, when I get there, he’s got a putting studio in the apartment. All right. full Matt, Quintic, like everything. Midway through the wi the winter, he puts he turns our living room into a full-on simulator, which just like was a a little much for me at times, but um I mean, that’s that’s part of, you know, I love I’m very analytical. I love to think about the game, think about all the and that’s one of the things I love about the games. There’s just so many different aspects to it. There’s so many different ways to do every part of the game. There’s so many the ment you know mental side, the how you practice, how you train. So Ryan, you know, leaves no stone unturned in terms of everything about the body recovery, playing, you know, the video games that the um so, you know, we’re a little different in some of those aspects, but it is again just great to bounce ideas off of him and to see how he does certain things and what works for him, what works for me. Um, but yeah, we both enjoy some Xbox once in a while. So, what I got from that answer is you think that he’s crazy for playing video games. Yes, that’s what I got from it. Okay, let me translate. So, so Dave, now you know I know you and I have exchanged a few texts about like what the future holds. You obviously mentioned a DP World Tour and you know pre-qualifying and and I know you’re going to take that trip um here in a couple days to to Galloping Hill for the pre-stage of of you know the Q school here. Is the ultimate goal to get on the PJ tour? Is that the focus right now? Kind of tell me about what your plans or what you envision you know the next six months to 12 months for you to look like. It is still my goal. I mean, I want to play at the highest level. Um, which is a PGA tour. Um, you know, I’ve played Q 10 11 times now. So, this will, you know, it’s it’s nice to be taking some momentum and feel like I’m kind of bringing a different game this time. Just healthwise and and the way I’ve been playing, you know, forget about winning the tournament or whatever. Just like I feel like I’m playing kind of a different level of golf. So, it’s exciting to kind of go into it with that. Whereas in the past, I feel like it’s more same game, but like now is it my time yet? Now it feels more like I’m just bringing a different game to it. So, you know, trying not to put too much pressure on it, but yeah, I’m playing DP and Cornferryy just to get two shots at it. So, it’s the first time in five attempts I’ve made it through DP first stage, so I’m excited for that. I have second stage in Spain next month. But um yeah, first stage at Cornferry is is this coming few weeks in New Jersey. First time I’ve seen a site this far north um for first stage. So just I chose I’ve never played the course, but chose it, you know, to try to get some extra practice rounds and familiar grass and and weather. So um looking forward to that. But um yeah, I mean, you know, PJ tour is still the ultimate goal. Not to take anything away from the Met Open because I didn’t realize how much I wanted to win the Met Open until, you know, these last few weeks. Just it’s really just, you know, a career achievement. Just a, you know, a validation, kind of a a real realization of potential almost like I I feel was kind of a pressure off me just like a It’s not like a someone who who should have won the Met Open but didn’t. It’s someone who who did. And it’s inc like I said I was just I can’t talk you know enough about how great it is but I do want to play on the PGA tour. It it is kind of like you said um validating that you’ve been on this on this journey for so long and and you know going back to you know all the junior stuff and and you can you can now it’s sometimes you know tough to see the forest through the trees right because you’re so focused on getting your game right and being in a good spot but winning this tournament you can kind of look back and be like oh it it I I have been doing things along the way like the the journey is you know has been worth it and look at where I am and look at what I’ve accomplish. accomplish and all this hard work has paid off even though at times it it doesn’t necessarily feel like it as you said like getting through the first stage at Q school is is a huge accomplishment and that’s something you haven’t done and that’s you know again something that in the moment you’ll be like okay this is the goal like it’s just another check mark in the in the goal as we’re marching forward but I would imagine same kind of thing you’ll eventually look back and be like yeah I I had a pretty successful career in comparative to you know other people yeah I got the trophy, you know, downstairs on the kitchen table, but Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, um, like Jean Sarah and the names on that trophy and, you know, a lot of my, you know, mentors and friends in the Met area, you know, Bobby Hines, who I, you know, helped me with my game for years, was a back-to-back winner, just, you know, Daryl Kner three times. He’s still playing in the tournament, you know, today at whatever age he is. It’s it’s cool that you can play in this tournament forever, you know, and that’s kind of what adds to again like the you know lifetime achievement of it and you know it’s like it’s building blocks to win at the junior and then the amateur and to win you know the Met Open like you have to play a high level of golf you know and beat and Dylan Newman the last two years are you know again two good friends so to see them win you know definitely motivated me and you know winning it at Metobrook Dylan’s home course was another, you know, motivating factor, but it just like just, you know, Dylan was my roommate before Ryan, so it’s just like just great to be on the trophy kind of with them. Dave, you got to do us a favor. Yeah. Next time we have you on when you qualify and you get you get on to the PGA Tour, we get on to the DP World Tour, right? You got to have your trophies. We got to have them in the background or or something. We got to see them. Okay. There’s the eye trophy right there. Yeah. So, hey, there we go. Okay. And listen, and I saw next year’s Met Open is at a spot right here again in New Jersey that we absolutely love Essex County. So, you know, I guess if you’re bored, you know, next year at that time and you’re looking for something to do, it’s not a bad spot to end up. Yeah. Never played it. And uh another I love playing new courses, love golf course design. So, I mean, at the very worst, just a new course to play. Do you prefer to go into a course blind like that or will you try to get there and try to break it down and and see it? No, I I I like pride myself on my preparation. So, I do, you know, would definitely prefer more practice rounds than less. But obviously, sometimes it’s nice to just go into a place that you haven’t seen. You don’t know the trouble as well. Like I hadn’t played Metobrook other than that, you know, the week before I got two rounds in. But um you just I don’t know. You you never you can’t explain, you know, golf’s such a stupid game that the courses you you know like the back of your hand. You don’t do well, but then you go somewhere new and you play great. So yeah, all things being equal, you’d like to know the course, but you never know. Well, you got two guys here that know Galloping Hill really well. Um so, you know, we’re not to hit it really. We we could advise you there on that. I was I was just going to say that uh you know we got two videos out there that have that show the whole course, right? You could you could watch where not to hit it and then just just watch what we do and do the opposite. I’ll channel my inner Ryan McCormack and uh watch those. There you go. No, but you know what? To give him credit, when I got down there January 5th or whatever this year, he was watching videos of YouTube uh Oakmont US Opens because the US Open was going to be at Oakmont. And sure enough, he qualified this year. So yeah, that’s pretty cool. Yeah, he’s got you manifested. Yeah, there you go. I mean, listen, I I um I I can’t thank you enough for coming on. You know, I I I think the journey that, you know, you’re on is is one of those ones that Ryan and I plan on following because, you know, we go through the gamut on our Tuesday show. You know, keeping track on a weekly basis of all our guys that, you know, from James Nicholas to Ryan McCormack to Max Graaserman to to Chris God, all these guys that have been on our show and on a week-toeek basis, we just follow them as like we’re their biggest fans. So, it doesn’t hurt to add another guy to that list. So, keep getting the job done. Keep keep winning tournaments, keep qualifying, and who knows what can happen, buddy. No, thanks for having me on. You know, I wasn’t super familiar with the podcast, and I love talking golf to anyone who, you know, has a passion for the game as well. So, thank you. Well, you got a couple guys in us that that can do that. Yeah, David, congrats on your on your recent success. Uh, and best of luck in both your qualifyings. Again, like Mike said, I’m I’m excited to follow you. This is this has been a great time and um and yeah, best of luck moving forward, bud. Thanks, [Applause]
