Big Break PEI: Episode 2: Football Fumbles

Well, episode two for me was a big shocker tonight. I was looking at the Golf Channel website today, checking up on their latest poll and William was a very close second to Derek in the voting on who would win BB PEI. I won't tell you how I voted, but William's elimination came as a complete surprise for me.

I am not sure if it's his good ole country boy demeanor that makes him so loveable, or maybe I see more of Boo Weekley in him than just his accent, but I thought William would be in for the long haul. I guess we all have "one of those days", but Football didn't seem to be comfortable in his own skin tonight. I am sure he can play better than that.

His comment about par 3's being his nemesis was very telling. I wish I knew what was going through his mind when he heard that he would have to play 3 par threes against Brenda. How much did his mindset play in his elminition? All speculation, but something tells me that it must have been a lot.

Although we had some technical difficulties this week, William was a great sport about contacting me for his interview today. So many months later, I wanted to know if he was feeling like the windshield or the bug. And, of course, I was dying to ask where the nickname "Football" came from.



I sure hope William can land some sponsors. He deserves a chance to show his stuff. Hey Golf Channel, what about a reunion?

Next up is my interview with Brenda "What were you thinking with that 3" McLarnon. I love people like Brenda - no airs - no pretention - funny, self-deprecating humor - she's just a hoot!



You just have to love that woman's attitude! I wonder if any of the ladies on Big Break Ka'anapali would have shared their 'lucky charm' with their competitor in elimination challenge. Not likely! LOL!

Michael Michealides from Big Break X joined me again tonight to give his commentary on the show. Always great to hear from him because he's "been there, done that" and knows how to critique a golf swing.



Derek wasn't able to watch the show again this week, but he certainly remembers winning the $1,000. :)



Brian joined me today to share what he thought about episode 2 and his sound bites. He also sent a message to William that I really enjoyed.



For Blair, I wanted to ask her about 2-3-2 putt. It seemed like a strange decision given she just had to beat Kim who had made a 4.



I bet it was a crazy time out there for them all. Not at all like a regular golf game, I'm sure. I had trouble keeping track of all the scores, and I had a notepad!

Caught up with Nicole today and welcomed her to our weekly interviews. She is often considered the underdog in this show, but after listening to her, I think many people may be underestimating her...



Great to see Gerina bounce back from first episode gitters and win the $1,000 prize from Peak Vision...



Well, I'm not making any predictions about next week. I have been completely wrong two weeks in a row and not about to make it a triple. But it will be fun to watch, of that I have no doubt.

Golfgal

Big Break PEI - Episode 1: Live By the Driver - Die By Everything Else

So, what did you think of the first episode of Big Break PEI?

Personally, I thought it had the best opening challenge of any Big Break yet.

Leveling the playing field right off the bat with a 3 foot knee knocker putt was brilliant, especially with the mind games the Golf Channel played with the contestants as they headed to the green.

Great drama!

I felt so badly for Kim when she missed her first shot of the series, but she certainly redeemed herself later. And a few of those other putts really just squeeked in the left side. This was no gimmey putt. I loved it!

But poor Robert...oh my! His motto to "Live by the Driver and Die by the Driver" may not be the best mantra for him to use to succeed in golf, unless, of course, he wants to be a long drive champion.

His second shots were less than stellar and his putting wasn't impressive. Sure that one shot over the trees from the other fairway was cool, but I would suggest that he call Mr. Pelz ASAP.

I was sad to see him go, however, as I heard that he is very funny. He probably would have added a lot of humor to the whole series. Although...that being said, Brian's "Is he going to use his putter again." comment was pretty funny. So maybe Brian will be the entertainer in the group (although something tells me he'll be more of a problem child ;)).

Anyway, it's not what I think that matters. I am sure you want to hear what the contestants thought of the first show. But before I get to them, I want to welcome Michael Michaelides from Big Break X to the blog. He was so much fun to talk to in the last series, I really wanted to hear what he thought about this group of Big Breakers, now that he's been through the experience himself.



Now on with the contestants...

First up, Blair O'Neal. Blair shares her first episode jitters and the best/worst things about Big Break PEI.



Cool to hear from Blair how nice Robert really is. He didn't get a chance to show us his real personality it would seem. Too bad about that.

Now, let's hear from Derek. Derek is in Mexico on the Canadian Tour and couldn't watch the show, so I really enjoyed teasing him about his sound bites ;)



Next up, the very entertaining, Irish lass, Brenda McLarnon...



I can't wait for Brenda's "colorful" interview next week, LOL!

I caught up with Gerina as she was finishing up a round of golf. She surprised me with some things I didn't know. I love it when that happens.



Hmmm...I wonder what Annie Mallory was doing there? Do you think there will be some past Big Breakers joining in on the competition? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

And now for the answer to the question we've all wondered about. Why did Brian throw up his hands and then the grass after making that shot? Check out what he had to say...you might be surprised.



I'm hoping to chat with William as well this week. So make sure you come back for that.

And I'll get some of the other past Big Breakers to join me from time to time over the next 2 months to share their thoughts on the show and competitors as well.

So let the 11 weeks of Big Break PEI fun begin!

Golfgal

Countdown to Big Break PEI - Introducing Canadian contestant Derek Gillespie

Well, the Masters is finally behind us. A little anti-climatic, don't you think? It's such a big build up, and then Sunday night, it's all over. Oh well. A big congratulations to Ángel Cabrera of Argentina for a solid win. It was a little sad to see Kenny Perry blow the last two holes, but hey...that's golf right? And watching Sergio crash was not a pretty sight. Sure hope he can pick it up at the Open.

On a side note, I thought it was funny on Golf Channel when Kelly wondered out loud what food they eat in Argentina. Haha...perhaps she is a vegetarian. But there is no better beef in the world than what comes from Argentina (and hey...I'm a Canadian and we're darn proud of our tasty bovines). Anyway, enough about dinner.


Let's talk about the next big thing on Golf Channel - Big Break PEI. It's only 1 week away (note, they are changing the schedule to Mondays at 9 PM EST), and I am so excited about this 11th season for two very good reasons:

1. It's in Canada - Go PEI!
2. It's got another Canuck in the mix, Derek Gillespie.



I recently interviewed Derek for Inside Golf Magazine about his experience on the Big Break. What a character he is! If you've read his bio on Golf Channel, then you'll understand ;)

Check out what Derek thought of the whole experience and then join me each week for my post-episode interviews with 5 or 6 of the contestants. Should be a hoot!

I hear we've got a "Boo Weekley" wannabe and someone else who might need to be "bleeped out" from time to time during my interviews. LOL! And of course, there is always a "problem child" ;) Sounds great, doesn't it?

I'm also going to be bringing in some past big breakers to share their thoughts on this series and contestants.

Hope to see you back here for all of those interviews. And don't forget, if you have any questions for the contestants, send them my way. I'd be happy to ask (as long as they are G-rated...yes, I know there are Blair questions out there that are probably too hot for this kid-friendly blog).

Golfgal

"Inside Golf" and "Fore Her" Magazines keeping Golfgal busy!

Hi everyone

Sorry I've been less prolific in my blogging lately, but I have a good excuse ;) I've been stepping out a bit and writing for some other publications.

This weekend, Fore Her Magazine released its April issue and I was honored to have the publisher choose 3 of my articles to include in it:

Page 50: Steele Canyon Golf Course review
Page 65: Meet Sara (no 'h') Brown
Page 68: Kyla Inaba: UBC Golf Captain Talks about Being a Female Golfer in Canada

In the next issue, I'll be including some new golf course reviews from my trip to Arizona the month and an inside look at the Big Break PEI from some of the contestants. So I hope you'll check that out when it's published in early June.



I am also very happy to have a regular column now in Inside Golf Magazine. So far, I've published 4 articles. A new one on Derek Gillespie from Big Break PEI will be out later this week.

I plan to write a new column every week (unless great golf weather interferes with my good intentions), so please drop by and check them out. You'll find that my column is not unlike this blog - I write how I feel, which can sometimes be a bit controversial ;), But hey...there's nothing like a good debate over a hot topic, right?

Check out my opinion pieces on The Masters, Duramed FUTURES Tour, Golf forums and some golfers' bizarre relationships with their flatsticks.

I'll be sure to let you know when my next article comes out this week on Big Break PEI, but if you wish, you can just sign up for Inside Golf's newsletter.. There's a ton of other great stuff in there!

Golfgal