‘Stick’ Star Peter Dager Breaks Down Santi’s Decision to Go Pro in Season 2

Stick is back for Season 2, and the mentor-mentee relationship between up-and-coming golfer Santi (Peter Dager) and former pro Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson) is in for big changes, as the two-episode premiere revealed. Warning: Spoilers for Stick Season 2 Episodes 1 & 2 ahead!

In the opening episodes, Santi and Pryce go back and forth over the idea of him going pro. While Pryce is supportive of furthering Santi’s golf career, he’s reluctant to push the teen into that level. Meanwhile, Santi is more than eager to get to the big leagues by going pro after a string of successes.

By the end of Episode 2, Santi has determined he would go pro without Pryce serving as his coach, leaving the seasoned player adrift. But what drives Santi to that decision? Is it naivete, or is it a desire to expand his horizons? “It could definitely be a mix of both,” Dager tells TV Insider. “I think naivete is definitely the most obvious answer, but I think it became an even easier decision for Santi coming off of all those really good performances at the end of Season 1,” he adds.

Apple TV

As the actor points out, Santi talks a lot about “what he’s been doing since the first season ended and the tournaments he’s played since Season 1 ended that we didn’t see.” In other words, the good fortune on the links has carried on in the time since fans last saw Santi. “He’s performed well in all of them.”

“So there is good reason,” Dager says, for Pryce to support Santi’s wish, “but he keeps saying no.” Pryce’s no comes from a place of understanding and experience. “That’s when that youthfulness comes in,” Dager adds, referring to Santi’s decision to break away and set out on his latest chapter.

Related

'Ted Lasso,' 'Chad Powers,' and More Sports Comedies: Which TV Show Is the Best?

As for how the change will impact the rest of the season going forward, Dager teases,  “Once he makes that decision and he does break everybody up… that really gets in the way of his personal relationships, the pressure he feels as a golfer and as a human who made a decision that broke people apart.”

Dager notes, “That pressure becomes so built up in him that it might actually start to affect the way he’s moving around the world and the energy he’s carrying.” Stay tuned to see how Santi’s game might be affected by his decision to break off, and let us know what you thought of Stick‘s return in the comments section below.

Stick, Season 2, Wednesdays, Apple TV