The Big Break

2003–present

The Big Break is the Golf Channel's reality television program. The show's premise is to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events on certain tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003. Currently, the show airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time/6 p.m. Pacific time every Monday or Tuesday. Tom Abbott replaced Vince Cellini as the male host at Big Break Sandals Resorts in the spring of 2010. Stephanie Sparks stayed on as host. Each episode is an hour long, though each season finale is two hours long. The show's chief signature is a giant rock that bears its logo. Until the 11th edition, there was a side rock with the Roman numeral identifying the edition. Now, each show is referred to only by its location.

First aired
6 Oct 2003
Episode length
60 min
Country
United States
Language
English
Elsewhere
TMDB

Checking where it is showing…

  • Reality

How members shelved it

Nobody has logged this yet.

Cast

Seasons · 11 episodes

  • The Big Break I

    Season 1 · 2003

    The Big Break I first aired, as said in the introduction, on October 6, 2003. The contest was filmed over ten days at the Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan. The winner would receive exemptions into four selected events on the Canadian Tour in 2004. The ten hopefuls for the first season were Randy Block of San Antonio; Garrett Garland of Northridge, California; Charles Calhoun of Marietta, Ohio; Justin Peters of Plantation, Florida; Steve Duemig of Clearwater, Florida; Anthony Sorentino of Rochester Hills, Michigan; Mark Farnham of Port Jefferson, New York; Craig Pawling of Sunrise, Florida; Jeff Brown of Hampton, Georgia; and Jon Roddy of Orlando, Florida. The show was hosted by Phil Mickelson's former swing coach, Rick Smith, and Katherine Roberts, who was dismissed as eye candy. In the end, Peters defeated Sorentino 3 & 1 in the matchplay final. Peters, though, failed to make the cut in any of the four Canadian Tour events he played in. The first season's webpage is still viewable here.

  • The Big Break II: Las Vegas

    Season 2 · 2004

    The Big Break II first aired on September 27, 2004. The majority of the series was filmed at the Stallion Mountain Country Club in Las Vegas, though the matchplay final was held at Vegas' Bali Hai Golf Club. The winner of this edition picked up exemptions into four selected Nationwide Tour events in 2005, a $10,000 cash prize, and a new Ford Five Hundred. The second season's ten hopefuls were Don Donatello of Lake Mary, Florida; Jay McNair of Brandon, Florida; Kip Henley III of Crossville, Tennessee; Bart Lower of Ann Arbor, Michigan; David Gunas, Jr. of Amston, Connecticut; Sean Daly of San Luis Obispo, California; John Turk of Melbourne, Florida; Mike Foster, Jr. of Savannah, Georgia; Shelby Chrest of Olds, Alberta; and Scott Yancy III of Glen Carbon, Illinois. Smith returned to host, this time, joined by Lesley Swanson. Henley and Donatello were the final two, and their match needed two extra playoff holes, with Henley eventually winning. Lower also received a prize. A viewer poll determined that of the eight previously eliminated contestants, Lower deserved another chance at his "big break," and with 37% of the vote, more than anyone else, Lower was invited to take part in The Big Break IV, which he accepted. Henley notes in this diary entry that he has gained further awards since his victory. On April 27, 2005, Henley qualified for the PGA Tour's FedEx St. Jude Classic, and qualified for it again in 2011 by winning a local PGA qualifier.

  • The Big Break III: Ladies Only

    Season 3 · 2005

    The Big Break III: Ladies Only is the third installment of The Golf Channel's reality series, The Big Break. This installment first aired on February 8, 2005. The show was filmed in October 2004 at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa just outside Williamsburg, Virginia. The winner of this edition would receive exemptions into two LPGA events and a celebrity tournament in 2005, not all of which aired on The Golf Channel. Also, a leading golf retailer, Golf Galaxy, was offering $5,000 so that the winning player could purchase whatever they need for the LPGA events, such as new clubs or other accessories. The first of those three tournaments was the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, held at the golf resort where the show was filmed. The Michelob ULTRA Open is commonly referred to as the LPGA's "fifth major," much like The Players Championship is for the PGA Tour. The ten hopefuls for the third season were Tasha Browner of Tarzana, California; Danielle Amiee of Newport Beach, California; Pamela Crikelair of Westchester County, New York; Valeria Ochoa, originally from Medellín, Colombia, but who has since moved to Miramar, Florida; Debbie Dahmer of Escondido, California; Jan Dowling originally from Bradford, Ontario, but who has since moved to Dallas; Cindy Miller of Silver Creek, New York; Sarah Sasse of Lincoln, Nebraska; Liz Uthoff of St. Louis; and Felicia Brown of Redondo Beach, California. Vince Cellini and Stephanie Sparks, who once played in the LPGA herself, albeit briefly, became the show's new hosts. The matchplay final was stellar. Crikelair and Amiee faced off, with Crikelair going 2 up after just three holes. Amiee came all the way back, and, at 1 up on the par 3 17th, sank a birdie to go 2 up, and clinch the The Big Break III title 2 & 1. In addition to her exemptions and $5,000 gift card from Golf Galaxy, Amiee also won a new Chrysler Crossfire, which she gave to a friend who had helped her financially. Amiee also donated her Golf Galaxy certificate to a charity for underprivileged children.

  • The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe

    Season 4 · 2005

    The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe was filmed in June 2005, and premiered on September 13 of the same year. The twelve hopefuls were taken to Scotland's Carnoustie, and the Old Course in St Andrews to compete for exemptions into two European Tour events, an endorsement deal with Bridgestone Golf, a two-year lease on a Ford Explorer, and a $5,000 gift card from Dick's Sporting Goods. The Golf Channel made this a competition between players from the United States and Europe, much like the Ryder Cup. Vince Cellini and Stephanie Sparks returned as hosts. The six hopefuls representing Team USA were Lower; Randall Hunt from Los Angeles, who currently lives in Arlington, Texas; Tommy Gainey, known as "Two Gloves," who hails from Bishopville, South Carolina; T.J. Valentine from Plymouth, Massachusetts; David Carnell, a Miami resident who is originally from Park Forest, Illinois; and Paul Holtby from Simi Valley, California. Team Europe's six hopefuls were former British Amateur winner Warren Bladon of Leamington Spa, England; Guy Woodman from Old Windsor, England; Edoardo Gardino, a Crans-Montana, Switzerland resident who is originally from Azti, Italy; Marty Wilde Jr. from Tewin, England; Richard Gillot from Paris; and Thomas Blankvoort from Wassenaar, Netherlands.

  • The Big Break VI: Trump National

    Season 6 · 2006

    The Big Break VI: Trump National was the sixth edition of The Golf Channel's popular reality television series, The Big Break. The show awards exemptions into selected events on major professional golf tours. This is the first time the show was held at a course in California: Donald Trump's Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles. Trump made a cameo appearance in the season premiere, in addition to appearing periodically throughout the show. This is also the first mixed-gender edition of the show. Nine men and nine women competed for exemptions onto the Champions Tour and LPGA Tour, respectively. The two Champions Tour events the men competed to qualify for were the Turtle Bay Championship and the Bank of America Championship, while the two LPGA events the women competed for entry into were the SBS Open at Turtle Bay and the Longs Drugs Challenge. The show was taped in June and July 2006, and premiered on September 26, 2006 with the matchplay final broadcast on December 19, 2006.

  • The Big Break VII: Reunion at Reunion

    Season 7 · 2007

    The Big Break VII: Reunion at Reunion featured sixteen competitors from previous seasons of The Big Break returning to compete for PGA, Champions and LPGA Tour exemptions at the Reunion Resort & Club in Orlando, Florida. The series premiered on The Golf Channel on February 25, 2007. Gainey, who originally competed on The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe. Competitors included: ⁕Mark "Moose" Farnham, The Big Break I ⁕Don Donatello, The Big Break II ⁕Mike Foster, Jr., The Big Break II ⁕David Gunas, Jr., The Big Break II ⁕Pamela Garrity, The Big Break III: Ladies Only ⁕Cindy Miller, The Big Break III ⁕Valeria Ochoa, The Big Break III ⁕Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey, The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe ⁕Edoardo Gardino, The Big Break IV ⁕Nikki DiSanto, The Big Break V: Hawaii ⁕Kim Lewellen, The Big Break V ⁕Ashley Gomes, The Big Break VI: Trump National ⁕Laura London, The Big Break VI ⁕Kelly Murray, The Big Break VI ⁕Gary Ostrega, The Big Break VI ⁕Briana Vega, The Big Break VI women's champion Laura London indicated in her interview that The Big Break VII was actually cast well before the completion of filming of The Big Break VI and before London herself had been eliminated.

  • Big break Greenbrier

    Season 18 · 2012

    The 18th season of Big Break featured 12 men and premiered October 2, 2012

More like this