Matt Picanso is a golfing legend. While many of his fellow competitors are fresh-faced college graduates or seasoned pros with triple-digit starts on major tours, Picanso is a journeyman from Southern California who is just now starting to hit his professional stride. Despite the intimidating competition, Picanso always remains unfazed. He's battled his way to this point in his career and is excited to the next step in professional golf.

Picanso's journey through the professional golf ranks has been anything but conventional. A gifted athlete at Stockdale High, he graduated in 2000 and headed off to play baseball at Cal Poly. But Cal Poly wasn't for him and he opted out, enrolling instead at Bakersfield College, a community college with a strong golf team. Despite having never played the sport before, Picanso tried out for the team and made it as a walk-on. In just one year, he went from being the sixth man on the freshman team to conference player of the year and an individual regional qualifier.  

At 21, Picanso's life took a dramatic turn when a family member close to him tragically passed away. Grief-stricken, Picanso quit golf and began working a series of odd jobs around town, including roofing, bartending, and even a stint as a pool boy. But the job that really sticks out in his mind is the six months he spent working in an oil field, where he was stationed in a trailer in the middle of nowhere, monitoring gauges on a well for 14 days straight before getting a week off. It was a lonely existence, and it's no surprise that by the time he was 26, Picanso had gravitated back to golf.

He enrolled in the Golf Academy of America in San Diego, thinking it was a school for aspiring golfers. While he didn't get the opportunity to play professionally, the teaching experience did land him an assistant job at The Crossings at Carlsbad, which helped fund his entry fees on the local Golden State Tour. He competed initially as an amateur before turning pro in 2013 at the age of 30.

For the past decade, Picanso has been working his way up the ranks of the developmental circuits. He's earned status on the Mackenzie Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamerica, and the PGATOUR's subsidiary tour the Korn Ferry Tour but the majority of his work has been dominating the lower levels, where he's become somewhat of a legend. In the past 5 years, he's won more than 100 professional golf events.  A feat not easily looked over.

Even his instructor has lost count of Picanso's victories. "I knew he was a good player, but I had no idea he had this kind of talent. "He hits it a mile and he's as straight as they come. And he's always looking to get better. He's constantly asking questions and working on his game."

It's this drive and determination that have helped Picanso rise through the ranks and become the formidable force he is today. It's also what sets him apart from many of the other players in the room.

With his talent, determination, and battle-tested journey to get here, there's no doubt that Picanso has what it takes to succeed on the PGA Tour. It's been a long road for him, but he's ready for the next step. And we at Enine Golf cant be more proud to support him as a member of our team