Owen Wilson Is Swinging Again—But This Time, It's Golf and Existential Crisis
The last time Owen Wilson made a comeback this dramatic, he was on a moped in Wedding Crashers. Now he's swapping the tux for tees and Tiger Woods lore in Stick, Apple TV+'s latest gamble: a sports comedy-drama that somehow ropes in teen prodigies, failed marriages, and Collin Morikawa.
Think Tin Cup meets Cobra Kai, but make it feel-good—and with just enough edge to keep us watching.
“His comeback is a long shot,” the trailer warns. It might as well be talking about the show itself.
This Isn't Just About Golf. It's About Guts.
Let's be honest: Golf isn't exactly the most cinematic sport. It's slow. It's quiet. The biggest drama usually involves khaki pants. So how does Stick manage to make us care? Two words: emotional shrapnel.
Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, an ex-pro whose life went triple bogey after a 20-year slump, a divorce, and a retail firing that screams late-stage capitalism fatigue. His only shot at redemption? A troubled 17-year-old phenom named Santi (Peter Dager), who looks like he's halfway between a TikTok breakout and a rage spiral.
The Inside Look promo isn't just a puff piece—it offers genuine glimpses of chemistry between Wilson and Dager, with interviews that show these characters (and actors) actually get each other. And then there's the kicker: cameos from actual PGA heavyweights like Keegan Bradley and Max Homa.
Apple's betting on authenticity and emotion instead of just laughs. Which makes sense—Ted Lasso rewrote the rules, and Stick is clearly following that playbook, but with more sand traps and fewer British accents.
“Golf Is Life”—Said No One Ever. Until Now.
There's something sneakily profound going on here. Showrunner Jason Keller (Ford v Ferrari, Escape Plan) isn't known for sitcom fluff. And with directors like Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton (Little Miss Sunshine), the tone lands somewhere between quirky indie and polished studio drama.
So why does this matter?
Because Stick might be the first sports comedy since Kingpin to embrace failure as both funny and oddly heroic. It doesn't shy away from the awkward stuff—washed-up has-beens, father-figure desperation, therapy-worthy teen angst. It leans into it.
Historical precedent? We've seen similar redemption arcs—Eastbound & Down, The Way Back, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers—but none took the golf route, let alone with real pros popping up like Easter eggs.
This isn't just genre subversion. It's genre exfoliation.
Would You Watch This—or Fall Asleep on the 9th Hole?
Here's the twist: Stick might actually convert golf haters. Between its solid cast, real-life sports cred, and surprisingly rich emotional core, it could land that rare triple play—sports fans, comedy lovers, and drama junkies.
But let's be real. It could also be a giant slice into cringe-ville if it overplays the sentimental card.
So…
