by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Jason Kastner

Age: 34

Occupation: Professional golfer

Bio: This swashbuckling Hudson hunk has always been a superior athlete, realizing early on that the lifestyle and potential big bucks he could earn as a pro golfer was a dream worth shooting for. After working both as an assistant golf pro and later as a big shot in the schmatta business, in 1998 Jason returned to the game with a vengeance in order to pursue his dream of playing on the PGA tour. “Nothing will deter me from my goal. I know I’m talented enough to get there.” He drives a 2000 Jeep Cherokee.

One strike all professional Montreal golfers have against them: Living in Montreal, the land of endless winter. “Realistically, you have six months where you can play here, and you need to play every single day, 12 months a year, in order to keep improving. So come winter, if you don’t have the financial support to go live somewhere warm, you’re screwed.”

How Jason manages to play 12 months a year: Through corporate sponsorships. “I’ve had deals with Buffalo Jeans, Sears Canada, and they’ve helped a lot, but getting sponsored is never easy. I’m also lucky to have a great relationship with the Falcon course here, and they let me play as much as I want so long as I wear their logo during tournaments.” Wanna make the big bucks and invest in a golfer? Contact Jason at jayk12@hotmail.com.

Something Jason, along with countless others, has done and will keep on doing in order to hit the big time in the glamorous world of pro golf: Drive from town to town, living out of the back of a van, chasing tours and playing qualifying rounds each Monday with the hope of securing a spot to compete in the event. “You play the qualifying round with maybe 100 other guys, and if it works out, you’ll get one of possibly three or four open spots.”

Something he’s very keen on doing this summer: Filming a documentary on pro golfers who chase the big tours around.

What Jason will generally score on a good day. “65 or 66.”

His current handicap: 1.

His balls: Titleist Pro V1X.

Have any competitors ever tried slipping him one of those trick golf balls that won’t shoot straight during a particularly gruelling golf event? Not yet.

Has he ever considered working as a golf hustler, scamming wealthy yet naïve players out of their hard-earned money? “A lot of guys actually do that for a living, but that’s not really my style. I’m a hustler, but not in that sense.”

Another way a top-notch golfer can earn the big bucks: Through corporate outings. Essentially, you take executive types out to the course for an afternoon, give them a few tips and “schmooze with them in the bar for the rest of the day. It pays really good money.”

Musical preferences: Lenny Kravitz, Maxwell.

Literary preferences: Golf Digest.

Words of wisdom: “Follow your own path, follow your heart.”

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca