Now he\u2019s the big shot.<\/p>\n
An iconic Long Island musician who has been playing in Billy Joel\u2019s band<\/a> for more than a decade has the opportunity of a lifetime this Thursday by singing the National Anthem <\/a>at the Ryder Cup, close to home at Bethpage Black.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m petrified,\u201d Mike DelGuidice of Miller Place told The Post just before seeing his massive stage at the Farmingdale golf course for the first time.<\/p>\n Long Island\u2019s Mike DelGuidice is singing the National Anthem at the Ryder Cup Thursday. Dennis A. Clark<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done it at a lot of Rangers games, Knicks games, Mets, Yankees\u2026but this one being what it is, it\u2019s a little nerve-racking,\u201d said the hometown hero, who has stolen the show countless times with his vocals and guitar skills during Joel\u2019s longtime residency at Madison Square Garden<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fretfulness\u00a0aside, teeing up this career-defining moment is doubly exciting for DelGuidice as he has become a die-hard golfer over the past six years as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve probably played almost 30 courses on Long Island\u2026When I do a gig at a country club, I always try to negotiate a free round,\u201d said DelGuidice.<\/p>\n DelGuidice said that he and Joel are of one mind in how the anthem should be properly performed. Courtesy of Mike DelGuidice<\/p>\n \u201cMy handicap dropped tremendously these past few years, but it\u2019s a lot of work and it\u2019s a frustrating game\u2026and, I\u2019m an avid watcher as much as a player.\u201d<\/p>\n DelGuidice, who will sing during the opening ceremony, has a chance to meet some of his heroes on home turf at the state-owned<\/a> Bethpage Black Golf Course in Nassau County, which has previously hosted the US Open in 2002 and again in 2009.<\/p>\n He will see the best American golfers, led by one-time close-by St. John\u2019s University standout and Team USA captain Keegan Bradley<\/a>, face Europe\u2019s aces in three days of green grit for global pride from Friday through Sunday.<\/p>\n Mike DelGuidice performs at Halftime at the Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets Season-Opening game at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI love Scottie Scheffler, but then again, I\u2019m a huge fan of Bryson DeChambeau, I love Rory McIlroy. I don\u2019t discriminate for any reason, whether it be country or anything,\u201d he said of of the two Americans and the Northern Irish McIlroy.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t get starstruck easily when it comes to musicians or actors because I\u2019m around that world a bit. But this is different because I watch these guys on a normal basis,\u201d added DelGuidice, who loved their appearances in \u201cHappy Gilmore 2.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n DelGuidice, a devout Mets fan, compared his opportunity to what it would be like singing in front of the crowd during the Amazins\u2019 1986 World Series championship.<\/p>\n Mike DelGuidice performs the National Anthem before the Los Angeles Chargers vs New York Jets game at Met Life Stadium on December 24, 2017 in East Rutherford, NJ. Getty Images<\/p>\n And, while he has shot on some of the island\u2019s most iconic courses like Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, he has yet to try Bethpage Black, which features a bold-faced warning sign <\/a>at the first tee box for its notorious, PGA-level difficulty.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter this, I think I\u2019m going to have to try my luck at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Better on the back nine<\/p>\n DelGuidice overcame many obstacles at the start of his musical career. Dennis A. Clark<\/p>\n It has also been a long time coming for the 54-year-old dad of four, who persevered through hard times at the start of his music journey.<\/p>\n \u201cRight off the bat \u2014 just struggle, struggle, struggle. I was living in a motor home in my friend\u2019s backyard. I just got divorced\u2026so there was a lot of \u2018when are you going to give up the dream? You\u2019re never going to make it in music,’\u201d DelGuidice said of his 20s.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wouldn\u2019t bend. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s an Italian thing or a Long Island thing, or if it\u2019s a genetic thing \u2014 You can\u2019t tell me I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n The big break started to come while DelGuidice was two years into running an LI based Billy Joel cover band, which caught the attention of the famous Hicksville native himself in 2002. <\/p>\n They bonded over music, sharing the stage from time to time for the next decade, and in 2013, Joel asked DelGuidice a life-changing question during a rehearsal at the Paramount Theater in Huntington. <\/p>\n \u201cHe stood up and he\u2019s walking away from the piano and he says, \u2018I want to talk to Mike\u2019\u2026A couple of the people started gathering to hear what was going on, and he said, \u2018No, I only want to talk to Mike alone.’\u201d<\/p>\n Mike DelGuidice onstage at Madison Square Garden during the 55th consecutive show of Billy Joel\u2019s residency at Madison Square Garden on August 23, 2018 in New York City. Getty Images<\/p>\n Just like that, DelGuidice, now happily remarried, formally joined Joel\u2019s ranks and was wavin\u2019 the bad times goodbye.<\/p>\n \u201cThe beauty of that moment wasn\u2019t even \u2018oh wow, I\u2019m getting to play with Billy Joel,\u2019 it was an affirmation and a confirmation over everyone who said I couldn\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Driving fore-ward<\/p>\n DelGuidice has been playing in Billy Joel\u2019s band for more than a decade. Courtesy of Mike DelGuidice<\/p>\n Nobody was more excited than Joel to learn that DelGuidice was selected to belt out the \u201cStar Spangled Banner\u201d as the Piano Man posted a \u201cproud\u201d photo of his colleague<\/a> to Instagram earlier in the month.<\/p>\n DelGuidice said that he and Joel are of one mind in how the anthem should be properly performed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had many conversations about it. We\u2019re both purists, so I approach the anthem in a very purist way,\u201d said DelGuidice, who recently released a new single, \u201cKilling Me,\u201d<\/a> and actively performs independently across LI and the nation as well.<\/p>\n He has opted to sing a cappella, although it is the most challenging rendition, which DelGuidice said is absolutely make or break on the very first note.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not going to be any finagling of the melody or, you know, doing any of the Whitney Houston stuff\u2026it\u2019s such a patriotic thing. You want to do it right, you want to do it justice,\u201d he said, adding that the thousands in attendance are welcome to join in.<\/p>\n DelGuidice described himself as an anthem \u201cpurist.\u201d Dennis A. Clark<\/p>\n The time DelGuidice has spent on stage together with Joel has also inadvertently helped him prepare for this moment, where the whole world will be watching.<\/p>\n