LOS CABOS, Mexico – Peter Malnati loves his job, the one he has held for 11 consecutive years and 12 seasons overall as a member of the PGA Tour.
But that job is suddenly in a precarious position.
The 39-year-old's two-year exemption from winning the 2024 Valspar Championship expires in three weeks, and he arrived at the World Wide Technology Championship ranked No. 157 in the FedExCup Fall standings.
So there was plenty of spring in his step Friday as he headed to the scorer's tent, despite making his lone bogey of the first two rounds on his final hole. Malnati carded an 8-under 64 to reach 14-under 130 through 36 holes, leaving him alone in second place, one shot behind leader Ben James.
Malnati missed the cut in six of his first seven starts
this season and has managed just three top-25 finishes in 23 starts, none better than a tie for 15th. But this week, everything appears to be clicking.
He drained a 15-foot eagle putt at the par-5 14th and poured in a 30-footer at the eighth to climb into contention.
"I don't even have to think about the cut line, I can think about playing golf. That was fun. Yeah, that was good," he said.
Did he see a round like this coming after missing the cut last week at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld?
"I feel really good about my work, but once you get inside the ropes, you've got to do it there, and I don't know that I saw this coming," he admitted.
Malnati isn't worried about providing for his family if he loses his PGA Tour status. He still laughs about how his perspective has shifted since his mini-tour days, when he and his now-wife, Alicia, were dating.
"It'll be amazing," he recounted of his early aspirations. "Then I play a couple years on the PGA Tour. I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh, if I go back to the Korn Ferry Tour we're not going to be able to afford a house, we're not going to have anything.' It's so crazy."
The reality, however, is that falling down a rung in professional golf has never been more daunting. Every year a new crop of players graduates to the PGA Tour, and they arrive more prepared than ever.
"If you fall off the PGA Tour, it might not be easy to get back on the PGA Tour," he said. "So, I feel that. I feel a lot of pressure because I love my job and I want to keep doing it.
"This is what I strived for. I mean, I was probably 14-ish years old when I quit playing baseball to focus on my golf game. From the moment I made that decision, the only thing I've ever wanted to do was play golf on the PGA Tour."
He added: "I don't think that I've done it to the best of my ability yet in life. I think I have more. Need to be out there with a chance in order to find out, so that's the pressure I'm feeling."
Malnati has given himself that chance entering the weekend.
Now he can begin changing the trajectory of his future by doing more of what propelled him into contention: finding fairways, attacking flags and continuing to hole putts.
"We'll find out more the next two days, of course, but the evidence is there," he said. "I can do it."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: With PGA Tour future at stake, Peter Malnati charges into contention in Mexico
