After one year of playing collegiate golf at the University of Central Florida, Michael Visacki dropped out to try his hand at professional golf. For the past 7 years, he has played on several “mini-tours”. It’s kind of like playing in the minor leagues for baseball. Truth be told, he doesn’t make a lot of money, so he still lives with his parents.
On the Monday before each tournament, many of these mini-tour guys play in what’s referred to as a Monday Qualifier. From this round, 1 or 2 guys qualify for the upcoming PGA tournament. In this case, Visacki sank a 20 foot putt to become that person who qualified to play in the Valspar Open, which took place at Innisbrook Golf Course, just a few miles from where he grew up.
After he made the putt, he gave his caddy a big bear hug and began crying. It meant that much to him. He then walked to the clubhouse and called his dad. “I made it. I made it, Dad.” He was so emotional. He then called his mom, who had to pull her car over to the side of the road because she was crying so hard. Visacki told his mother, “I knew if I kept knocking on the door it would happen. I finally did it. No words can say what I’m feeling right now.”
In an interview after making the cut, Visacki commented on his parents: “They have given everything for me. They sacrificed everything for me so that I could play professional golf. They knew I was able to do it and they were always there for me. My dad cried, my mom cried and I cried. It was just a really special moment.” He knew how fortunate he was to have parents who could and did financially support him as he tried to fulfil his dreams.
Joe’s Perspective: We all hear the big stories of Tiger and Phil, Justin and Rory who hoist the big trophy on Sunday, but we don’t always hear about the little guys who struggle just to qualify on Monday. Visacki cried on Monday the way Bubba Watson cried after he won the Masters a few short years ago. Qualifying was a big step… a confidence booster, if you will. Truth be told, he didn’t even make the cut on Friday, so he made zero money. Visacki didn’t care. He was able to tee it up with pros that he saw on TV and it meant the world to him.
It’s funny, I wrote down this quote earlier today. “The victory is not whether we hold the gold cup, it’s whether we give our hearts to it.” I think this quote captures this story. Millions of high school athletes don’t have the talent to play professional sports, but who cares. Sport is about competition and giving everything your body can produce to do your very best. I guess this is why I love this story. Visacki gave everything he had to qualify, and that is something to admire. As Visacki said, “So many people give up on their dreams, probably because they can’t afford it.” As for me, I will be rooting for this feel-good story. I hope you will be too.
Your Turn: “So many people give up on their dreams.” What is your dream in sports or life?
My dream in sports is to play at college level.
My dream is to be a US volleyball player or right now my dream is to go to Baylor and play for the volleyball team.
my dream is to go play college volleyball somewhere and hopefully D1
My dream is to make enough money so I can buy land and adopt animals from kill shelter and bring them there to live out the rest of their lives
My dream is to live my life to the fullest, not regretting the things I’ve done. Never live life the boring way!
My dream is to be successful in everything I do and be able to travel and be financially capable throughout my whole life!
My dream in sports life is to become an athletic trainer for NFL or NBA
my dream is to make a name for myself and live my life with no regrets
My dream is to open up my own business in saving animals that are on the edge of dying and help them get better or become a dolphin trainer and work with marine animals
My dream in life is to live my life with no regrets and travel the world to see all the beautiful scenery.
My dream is to find a good job, live near the beach, have a big family, and be happy.
my dream is to just be successful not just in sports but in everything i do, and to believe the impossible is walkways possible and never give up
My dream is to get experiences I wouldn’t usually get if I didn’t play sports.
My dream is to be G.O.A.T at college volleyball when I come to it.
My dream is to be successful and be the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and finish college then go on to find a job that i love and be able to enjoy my life and what i have
My dream is to play basketball in college and win a championship.
My dream is to complete college while still playing volleyball and go on to find a job that I love and am happy doing everyday
My dream is to go to duke university and hopefully still play volleyball while I’m in college and get a degree so I can become and architect
my dream is to leave an impact and make a name for myself wherever i go, but to not let such ambition cloud my judgement or make me make unnecessary sacrifices at the expense of myself.
My dream is to be as happy as I can be and be successful
my dream is to be successful and also to be a good role model.
my dream is to be successful and also to be a good role model so i can make my family proud
My dream is to be happy with the life I chose to live.
My dream is to be successful and make others happy and travel the world
My dream is to make sure I can leave an impact on someone and keep going with what I have in life. Also, just showing people that they having something to keep pushing for.
My dream in volleyball is to grow each day and overcome my challenges in the game to become the best player I can be.
My dream in life is to be successful and live life to the fullest.
My dream in life is to golf at a college but also just to adventure the whole world.
My dream is in baseball to go play college baseball. I want to get a scholarship and pursue my dreams in baseball.
My dream is to play in college
My dream is to be successful and get in a good college
My dream is to be succession in life and get a good job
My dream is to win 3 team state champs
My dream is too play collage soccer
My dream is to get a 4.0+ in highschool
My dream is to play soccer at college level to help me stay healthy ruing my academics and to hopefully help me pay for college
My dream is to play soccer in college for at least a D2 school for Michigan State.
My dream is to play volleyball or swim in College
My dream in sports and life is to be the best version of me, including the hardest worker on the feild. I want to outwork everyone no matter if it’s a sport or everyday situations
My dream is to graduate law school.