footsteps of “Ted Lasso”) — that’s sneakily endearing. On the surface, Jason Keller’s show is shuffling variations of clichés ripped from classic sports films and new wave TV comedies (like jokes that draw on the divide between Gen Z and Gen X), but underneath its fairly predictable formula, there’s a genuinely charming heart that caught me off-guard.
The setup is pretty simple: Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson, betting everything on his low-key yet beguiling charisma), a once-promising pro golfer turned golf club salesman, is broke and in the middle of a divorce with a pretty grim financial outlook toward his future. Strongly related to his money problems, he’ll likely lose the home filled with memories and golf memorabilia he currently lives in. But one day, while out and about on a driving range teaching an old lady, the spark of hope for something better beckons with the smooth swoosh of a club swing.
The impressive swing belongs to Santi (Peter Dager), a teen prodigy who, not long ago, had been trained by his now-absent father to become a professional, and Pryce immediately sees the endless potential in him that he may have once seen in himself. Despite the initial reluctance from the kid, the two agree to team up and go on tour, each bringing their own emotional support system in the forms of Santi’s proudly Latino mother, Elena (Marian Trevino), and Pryce’s longtime buddy and former caddy, Mitts (Marc Maron, playing another annoyed and fed-up guy with ease).
Just like in “Ted Lasso” and some classic sports movies, golf is only here to serve as the context where more intriguing and exciting dramas can brew. Technique-wise, Santi is a phenomenal player who only needs some mental guidance, which is where Pryce excels. There’s a reason for that: He’s been through it all before — from big opportunities to meltdowns and burnout — and suffered a personal loss as a parent that most people don’t come back from.
If that somewhat reminds you of a certain character from a largely forgotten 1990s classic, you must be a fan of Ron Shelton’s work and, more importantly, one of the best golf movies ever made: “Tin Cup.”
