Apple TV’s golf-flavored version of Ted Lasso is off to a strong start.
Owen Wilson’s Stick debuted last week to some pretty solid reviews.
That is unless you’re Rick Reilly, of course.
The longtime ESPN columnist and New York Times bestselling author has seen one too many parallels to stay quiet. The 67-year-old Reilly took to social media to point out the not-so-subtle similarities between Stick and his debut novel “Missing Links.”
The premise of the Apple TV original is that an over-the-hill ex-golfer Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson) is working at a golf store and selling golf clubs. Cahill — nicknamed “Stick” — is down on his luck until he crosses paths with a troubled 17-year-old golf prodigy. From there, it becomes a story about redemption, mentorship, and second chances.
When it was filming in Vancouver in 2024, the show went by a different title: Rambler & the Birdie Machine.
But the name doesn’t matter to Reilly. What matters are the “coincidences.”
There’s only a few that he’s pointed out so far. The main character’s name (Stick) is the same as Reilly’s main character in his golf – and debut — novel “Missing Links.” And “Stick” is a down on his luck former professional golfer attempting to get his life together, which is the same as “Missing Links,” per Reilly.
“Too bad you guys didn’t get writers who know golf,” he wrote.
Let’s count the “coincidences.”
-Main character’s name (Stick) is the same as my main character in my golf novel “Missing Links.”
-Stick is a down and out ex-pro trying to get his life together. Same as “Missing Links.”
Too bad you guys didn’t get writers who know golf. https://t.co/8UhPfqtl6W— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) June 10, 2025
That’s where the comparisons start to fade. “Missing Links” centers on a ragtag group of middle-class golf junkies who hatch a plan to sneak onto a private course, with a million-dollar wager hanging in the balance. It’s less father-figure melodrama, more buddy-comedy caper.
Still, Reilly’s patience seems understandably thin. “Missing Links” was once in line for a big-screen adaptation of its own. Warner Bros. bought the rights and tapped Steve Carell to star, with Jay Lavender (The Break-Up) attached to write the screenplay. The project never made it out of development.
Some fans think Reilly should lawyer up. Others say the overlap feels surface-level at best.
The truth probably lies somewhere in-between.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.