At 22, Peter Dager’s life and career changes dramatically with his big break as a gifted newcomer in “Stick” who gives Owen Wilson’s washed-up golf pro a meaningful reset.

Dager, “born and raised in Miami,” moved to New York at 18, determined to act. Only he found himself mostly in the classic circumstances of being an occasional actor and full-time waiter at a Lower East Side burger joint.

“I did acting jobs but it was never enough to pay my bills,” Dager explained in a phone interview. “So I always went back to waitering.”

He credits supportive parents and an inspiring younger sister with fueling his dream of becoming an artist.

“When I was 16 or 17, when COVID hit, I remember watching Netflix and seeing child actors and being like, ‘I’m better than these dudes!’ Like, these guys are getting work and there’s just no depth.

“Maybe that will be said about me (I’m sure it will by some others). But that was a real thought that I had when I was 16.”

After six “Stick” auditions, two trips to LA — one at his own expense as his parents chipped in with the hotel, the second when the studio paid — and screentests with Wilson, Dager was cast as teen golf prodigy Santi Wheeler in the half-hour AppleTV+ series.

Happily, they weren’t looking for a golf pro. “It was not a prerequisite to have played golf and I never had before. Once I got it, that became an obsession of mine.”

Like Tiger Woods or Shohei Ohtani, Santi’s gift sets him apart. As to how Santi feels about his gift, “When we start the series he’s given it up. His attitudes and point of view about his gift changes throughout the show. But when we meet him, he’s burdened by his gift.

“He knows that with success comes pressure — and it’s not always the right kind of pressure. He doesn’t always want that kind of pressure, because there’s more to life than what you’re good at in this world.

“You don’t want to be labeled as the next Tiger Woods from the moment you’ve popped out of the womb. You know you’re more than that — a loving son, a caring person.

“I feel he’s been boxed in by his gift and so he’s over it. But in this last year before the show starts, he secretly is playing. His mom doesn’t know.

“When we meet him, he’s been playing for about a year, secretly. He’s ready to find himself again because that love for the game never dies.

“Because when you’re that talented at something, you probably love it.”

“Stick” streams on Apple TV+ June 4