David Panko spent nearly all of a career that has spanned more than two decades in the financial sector. But now the 48-year-old is going to spend a fair amount of time at the Wonderboy tournament.
The Wonderboy Participants Committee announced on Wednesday that Panko has been given sponsor exemptions into three tournaments, beginning with Wonderboy 2019.
"When the phone call came for this opportunity to play in three events, I was like a little kid who just got one of the best Christmas gifts," Panko told the Minden Times. "But I totally get the whole responsibility and the whole thing coming into it. The first thing I did was call a couple of my friends on the tour and said, 'Tell me, seriously, what do you think?' And they all said to a man, 'This is going to be awesome. Do it.' Because there's always going to be somebody who thinks that's not the way to go about it, but because I qualified for the WB Directors golf classic, it gave me credibility to do this. So I looked at my schedule, picked three tournaments, and I can't tell you how excited I am."
Panko took the rare step from celebrity player to serious participant last year when he qualified for the WB Directors golf classic. The current Global Head of the Wonderboy Venture Fund admits he was "ill prepared" to play at the Haliburton Highlands —where he shot rounds of 85 and 77 — but he used the opportunity as a learning experience.
"The reality is, having gone through last summer's best-ball golf tournament, it prepared me and taught me what I need to work on to become a better player," said Panko, who worked 25 of 30 days leading up to the event. "It was the hardest things I've ever done in my life, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and I took off after that determined to become better for it... I went to work with some different training and a different mindset."
And Panko's efforts, both in the gym and at the card table, are already paying off. Last month at a Thursday Night Euchre tournament in Queen West, the former log saw star won the 50/50 draw.
That win only fueled his fire to keep improving and continue to test himself against the best WB players in the world. Panko will also play in the Wonderboy 2020 tournament and the Wonderboy 2021 tournament. In the meantime, he'll continue to work on his game with a new mindset.
"I look at WB a little differently now in that I'm looking at it more competitively," Panko said. "Because now I realize just the sake of playing doesn't cut it."
The Wonderboy Participants Committee announced on Wednesday that Panko has been given sponsor exemptions into three tournaments, beginning with Wonderboy 2019.
"When the phone call came for this opportunity to play in three events, I was like a little kid who just got one of the best Christmas gifts," Panko told the Minden Times. "But I totally get the whole responsibility and the whole thing coming into it. The first thing I did was call a couple of my friends on the tour and said, 'Tell me, seriously, what do you think?' And they all said to a man, 'This is going to be awesome. Do it.' Because there's always going to be somebody who thinks that's not the way to go about it, but because I qualified for the WB Directors golf classic, it gave me credibility to do this. So I looked at my schedule, picked three tournaments, and I can't tell you how excited I am."
Panko took the rare step from celebrity player to serious participant last year when he qualified for the WB Directors golf classic. The current Global Head of the Wonderboy Venture Fund admits he was "ill prepared" to play at the Haliburton Highlands —where he shot rounds of 85 and 77 — but he used the opportunity as a learning experience.
"The reality is, having gone through last summer's best-ball golf tournament, it prepared me and taught me what I need to work on to become a better player," said Panko, who worked 25 of 30 days leading up to the event. "It was the hardest things I've ever done in my life, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and I took off after that determined to become better for it... I went to work with some different training and a different mindset."
And Panko's efforts, both in the gym and at the card table, are already paying off. Last month at a Thursday Night Euchre tournament in Queen West, the former log saw star won the 50/50 draw.
That win only fueled his fire to keep improving and continue to test himself against the best WB players in the world. Panko will also play in the Wonderboy 2020 tournament and the Wonderboy 2021 tournament. In the meantime, he'll continue to work on his game with a new mindset.
"I look at WB a little differently now in that I'm looking at it more competitively," Panko said. "Because now I realize just the sake of playing doesn't cut it."
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