Peter Malnati couldn’t hold back his tears after clinching the trophy at the Valspar Championship. This was his second tour win after almost a decade, and the golfer didn’t know if he’d ever cherish such a moment again in his life. He later thanked his family, caddie, and all the well-wishers who supported him at his lowest.
Malnati’s emotional moment was something that everybody could relate to, especially the fans. He explained how hard it is to balance a family and keep one’s dream alive, and having a triumph as a golf professional is an exceptional achievement for the golfer. On Wednesday, before the event in Mexico, Malnati was asked whether he knew why the moment of the Valspar’s triumph resonated with the community. Malnati’s heartwarming response went beyond and managed to capture the heart of golf fans far and wide.
Peter Malnati Reflects On How He Perceived Golf
Malnati began by talking about his childhood and how he grew up watching Michael Jordan and the 97’ Bulls and Tiger Woods at the Masters in 2000. He said that he didn’t care about the money the players would get or their contracts; all he cared about was the sport. The golfer’s response seemed to resonate with the emotions of the fans who didn’t care about the big payouts or LIV contracts but only wanted to witness athleticism at its best and good golf.
Malnati highlighted how the focus had shifted to money and what the area of development should be – the product delivered to the fans. He stated how the triumph at the 18th Green had nothing to do with the winner’s prize money. The tears shed by the Player Director were relics of happiness and that’s what fans want to watch—golf at its best.
Malnati said,
“I hope that connected with some people and I hope that that can be—I do think everyone out here who plays and competes would agree with me on that. I just hope that can be the story that we tell can come back to the best athletes in the world competing on the biggest stage in the world and doing it to show off this amazing skill that we have that can be so entertaining for people. I want that to be our story.”
The PGA Tour pro was asked about the ambiguous nature of the sport and the uncertainty looming in the future at the Players Championship presser, to which he honestly replied that he would like to see the game unified and would like to witness the best players playing at the big events. Whether Malnati’s ideal world will be created or not can only be known once the PGA Tour reaches a deal with the Saudi PIF.
