Profiles of “The Q”: Joe Hooks & Fat Perez
In the first of our video profiles of each of this year’s 16 competitors in The Q at Myrtle Beach, you’ll hear from a Wayne State alum trying to find his way in the professional golf world, and the wildly popular YouTube golf influencer who sees himself as the underdog in this battle. Check out our features on Joe Hooks and Fat Perez (Nick Stubbe).
Play Golf Myrtle Beach and PGA TOUR Studios have partnered to present this innovative competition for a spot to tee it up with the pros next month in the PGA TOUR’s 2025 ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, May 8-11, 2025, at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club.
Featuring 16 players, including eight aspiring golf professionals and eight influential content creators, The Q at Myrtle Beach is an 18-hole, stroke-play competition that was played on March 3 at TPC Myrtle Beach. The winner will be revealed when the event airs on YouTube on May, 5, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET.
Joe Hooks:
I’m gonna hit driver as much as I can, knowing that I do take course management very serious. At the same time, good course management is hitting driver as many times as you can until it’s not reasonable. Right? I grew up playing golf in Detroit, Michigan, Metro Detroit. Pretty much fell in love with the game because of my dad. He tells me that the first steps he saw me take was making my way over to one of his putters and beating the top of the balls.
The grind of the mini tours. It is not for the weak-minded. There’s a bunch of different grinds within that part of professional golf for sure. And I say that, meaning, you got guys that are working damn near full-time jobs. You got guys that are working at courses just to get privileges essentially, or they may not be making much money. You got guys that are caddying. I’m definitely taking a risk by not allowing myself to get comfortable with a job. It’s paid off. Definitely. I’m mentally and physically getting better and better over the years.
More than anything, you feel like you always need a little more time. Yeah. Money buys you time in this game, I mean, at the end of the day. And it’s important to buy you time. And great play buys you time. But all those things go hand in hand. So it’s a very unique grind. I don’t think there’s anything like it. This is a blessing, especially with the exposure and the PGA TOUR’s involvement, and just an amazing group of guys that are running the event.
My name is Joe Hooks. I am born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. I live in Scottsdale, Arizona currently. My home course is Whirlwind. I’m expecting to shoot 66 tomorrow.
Nick Stubbe:
I’ve got to go out and just fire, right? I’ve got to make more birdies than I normally would in a round of golf. I got to go for broke a little bit, which it’s fun. It’s a fun thing to do.
Golf’s super big on my dad’s side of the family, so it’s always been sort of sport number one. I played Little League and soccer and basketball. I don’t remember life without golf as a part of it. So it’s the best. I mean, it’s different.
Yeah, The Q is definitely different. I mean, you’re one round away from a tour event. This is true tournament medal play with an incredible opportunity on the line.
I’m Nick Stubbe, AKA Fat Perez from Richmond, Virginia, play out of Keswick Hall, and I’m just hoping to break par tomorrow.
