Peter Malnati spoke to the media after winning the Valspar Championship by 2 strokes, which vaults him up the FedEx Cup Standings and qualifies him to play in The Masters.
Uh I mean hopefully now it’s sunk in enough that I handle it better here than I did there but um I’m not kidding you know um people don’t need to know all this like golf wasn’t my my thing growing up I didn’t I wasn’t from a golf family so
I I shot Hoops in the driveway and played baseball against my little bounceback um and I was always you know I imagined I was I was Omar visale when I was playing baseball he was the best short stop ever amazing um and when I was Michael Jordan when I was playing
Basketball and I was always like that game on the line tie tie game last seconds make this shot go boom and so then golf became my thing and you know through high school and college like playing on the PJ tour was just a dream it wasn’t even a realistic goal I was
Very mediocre college player at a very mediocre College um great College mediocre golf program um I uh you know whatever so I was still that kid I’d go out to practice and every six-footer at the end of my practice session was to you know to win the tournament and even
At that point in my life like I imagined that moment when i’ would you know be married to love my life and she’d come running out and we’d have our F like that’s something that I wanted um and you know to have that entire dream come
To life and to like you know I looked over and saw um I didn’t see my family I can’t remember the exact order because my brain was spinning but I don’t think I saw him until after I’d hit the first putt but I definitely saw him before I
Tapped in and I was I mean I I I had lost it before I had hit my last shot of the tournament for sure but luckily it was like literally 2 Ines from the hole um but yeah that moment it’s pretty amazing you know I got asked a lot when
I was um when I was a kid you know my you know my my uncle has tickets to the Masters you want to come my friend has tickets to the Masters you want to come and I always said no I don’t want to go watch people play golf that doesn’t
Sound fun um so I didn’t go and then you know as I became a a PJ tour member and you know played on the PGA tour became a winner on the PGA tour I would occasionally meet you know the right person who say do you want to come play
Augusta I was like no like I want to go play Augusta when I’m in the Masters that’s when I want to go play Augusta so um you know the fact that I it’s still an Invitational they can choose not to invite me I suppose but I think historically they’re pretty consistent
And I think I’ll get an invitation um I’ll probably accept that invitation and go play the Masters which will be really really uh uh I mean you know the realization of another childhood dream um you know to yeah I mean I guess yeah that’s cool it hasn’t s in
Yet at all because I mean I’m no I’m I guess I’m going to be there in when when is it three three weeks or something wow Masters that’s pretty cool so yeah that’s great I mean but you know again just to reiterate like that’s amazing I’m I’m going to be I’m I’m
Already thankful for that opportunity I can’t wait um but I call come back to this and I mean it you know I remember I remember playing on the then Nationwide now corn fairy tour in 2015 every single event out there felt like a major to me every single event
That I’ve played on the PGA tour ever like I remember you know we affectionately refer to some of our events um as you know the Island Tour some of of our events that are U additional field events um every single time I’ve played in in Puerto Rico uh in
Dominican those feel I I’ve never teed up in a Tour event and not felt wow this is like I’m nervous and this is important like and 90% of us on tour are that way so like you know I’m gonna go play next week in Houston and like there may not be the
History and the the the story and you know I may feel something special when I get on the grounds at Augusta and I hope I do but I’m gonna feel just as amped up on the first te next week in Houston because this playing golf on the PGA
Tour for 90% of us out here is a really really hard and B the realization of of a dream um so I’m not going to put too much uh too much emphasis on the fact that yeah I’m in you know I’m in in the the Masters that’s that is that is cool
Don’t get me wrong I’m excited about it and I cannot wait to set foot on on the grounds That’ll be amazing um but I think more what has sunk in to me is you know this guarantees me that you this is my 10th season on the PJ
Tour this guarantees me that I’m going to have 12 at least pretty cool like like that’s pretty cool like for for for where I you know it’s just always my dream to never get a real job actually believe it or not like I never even I never knew what it was going to
Look like when I was a kid I watched my dad work really hard and they didn’t look like fun so I was like I want to play baseball for a living or tennis or something and then it turned into golf and now I now I know for sure I’m going
To have a job on the best tour in the world for two and a half more years that’s pretty that that that’s what I think about right now but I’m sure as I you know relax a little bit from here I’ll I’ll I’ll start wondering what that
What that 12th t- shot to that back right pin at August is going to feel like so so it is pretty cool unless there are any others I’ll finish up with how do the malades celebrate tonight so we’ve already started with ice cream after green side but what will look like
Tonight we got PB and JS in the car for the for for the trip to the airport let’s go are we son I make Hatcher a promise right now you’re probably going to go to school tomorrow but we won’t get you up early for it you can you can sleep until
You wake up and go in a little late does that sound does it sound like a good deal yes okay
