Well, it's the Tuesday before Christmas and although Big Break season is now over, I had to do one more Big Break interview before closing out the year. And who better than the latest Big Breaker to make it through grueling Q school to hit the big leagues - Big Break PEI's Gerina Mendoza.
Gerina was a regular guest on my weekly Big Break PEI blog and was considered a very serious contender in that series. In fact, many people believed she would win and were shocked to see her lose in elimination to Derek in episode 9. But that's how Big Breaks go - you just never know from one shot to the next what will happen.
But this summer, Gerina bounced back and was on a roll of great performances on the DFT, landing her a 12th place finish, less than $1,600 away from gaining her tour card the "easy way" ;)
But that wasn't a big upset for Gerina - not the way she was feeling about her game and herself going into Florida. On December 6th in Daytona Beach, Gerina tied for 30th during the final round of Q-school and achieved Priority List Category 16 status on the LPGA. Although not certain which events she'll be eligible to play, Gerina is excited about her future as she should be...
The Golf Channel once said of this bright young bomber, "Gerina has a ton of talent and she will be somebody to watch for a very long time." I think they nailed that one, don't you?
Best of luck Gerina next year and beyond. We'll be watching and cheering you on!
So did you pick the winner of Big Break Disney? Wow! I don't think Golf Channel could have written a better back 9 script if they tried.
I'm still a little speechless. I started writing this post around the 13th hole thinking Tony was a shoe-in given his play to that point, but no sooner did I have him in the title than Mike started his birdie run that just wouldn't quit. Amazing!
Congratulations Mike! I can't wait to watch you tee it up with your big brother, Pat, at next year's Children's Miracle Network Challenge.
I hope to talk to Mike this week, but right now I bet he's partying as hard as he played that day. That man sure has a fire in his belly!
Tony was very gracious to speak with me tonight. I am sure it wasn't easy for him to watch the show and relive coming so close.
I certainly will follow the Finau brothers. They've been so solid throughout this series. I don't think it will take them long to make their mark in this business.
Vincent joined me with his final commentary on the show as well. He's another one who's time will come, and probably sooner rather than later...
Caught up with Blake as well tonight. I was prepared to talk about the importance of "anger management" in golf, but after watching Mike's performance, perhaps it's not a good time to do that ;)
Kevin sure looked like he was the only one "having fun" in this final episode. I loved his sense of humour and attitude throughout the show - a nice relief from the frustrations and tensions of the other two. And I do believe that if his putter had been as hot as it was in the previous episodes, he would have been right there in the mix with Tony and Mike...
Well, that's it for 2009. I sure did enjoy getting to know the Big Breakers on this show. A very special thanks to Vincent, Blake, Kevin, Tony and Mike for taking the time to chat with me every week. I couldn't have done this without you!
And a final "Woohoo!" to Mike for that amazing finale to a great Big Break series.
They say that good things come in small packages and recently I was reminded of how true that cliche really is - even in golf.
Last month I was vacationing in Maui and played a round of golf at Ka'anapali with my new galpal, Shelley, and her friend, Tony. I expected my game to be a bit rusty, having not played in a month, but my drives were some of the best I had ever hit. Shelley started calling me a sandbagger and I kept saying, "No, no, really...I never hit my drives that far! It must be these new tees I just got."
I went on to explain that I had received some pink and white samples of the Mirror Tee just before I left Vancouver and thought I'd give them a try on my holiday. I had read that you're supposed to lean them forward toward your target about 15 degrees - if you do, it takes spin off your ball and it goes farther. Farther - I like farther ;)
So then Tony said, "Okay, let me try one." I gave him one of the few white ones I had and Shelley one of the pinks. And on the next hole, when Shelley told us we needed a "far far away club" ;), Tony teed up his ball with his new Mirror Tee and let it rip.
And wouldn't you know it, BAM! - Tony's ball flew so far down the fairway that jokes were being made about time zones and area codes. Haha...
The day was full of drives like that from all of us and it wasn't long before Tony was asking me for as many tees as I could spare. Not that he needed many - I played 13 rounds of golf with just 1 Mirror Tee and it's still as good as new.
Now I don't know all the technology behind the Mirror Tee, but I do know that it really worked for me. I shot my best round of my life on Lana'i using that 1 tee and now it's the only tee I'll use.
I'm putting them in the Xmas stockings of all my golf buddies this year. I know they will thank me when they "tip it and rip it" on their next drive.
It was a sad night for the Finau family on Big Break Disney, but a scenario that had to be played out eventually - either this week or next, one of the Finau brothers had to go home. Tonight Gipper was the one who "missed the fairway".
And although I was sad to watch Gipper go home, I was left thinking of the words Bobby Jones said about Jack Nicklaus, when I watched Gipper hit the ball a mile - "He plays a game of which I am not familiar".
Wow! Does he have a long game or what! Irons from 260+ yards to the green???? Is that real? Amazing player - just a bad night. Golf is a game of inches, as they say, and his drives are so long that an inch of error off the tee results in many feet off his landing area - sometimes those feet get wet.
Gipper, you were so much fun to watch and I look forward to watching you grip it and rip it off the tee on tour someday. Hang in there - you have what it takes!
This week I caught up with Vincent to talk about his thoughts on this week's show. Love his analysis of the players and their game...
Tony had a tough night watching Gipper be eliminated, but was still positive about the future of the Finau family in the final episode. Not surprising given how well he has played this series. Another great demonstration of golf by Tony this week makes him a solid choice for next week's final challenge...
Kevin is currently on my favorite island on earth - Maui. He and Courtney are celebrating their 5th anniversary in paradise (oh...I hope I was allowed to share that ;)). As much as I hate them both right now (it's below zero here in Vancouver), I am so happy that Kevin's wonderful birdie putt on 14 won him his match solidly and put him in the finals next week. Kevin is a testament to what a great short game can do...
Connected with Blake after his long drive from Colorado. Not exactly golf weather there right now - brrr...
Should be a great final episode with Kevin "Cinderella" Erdman, Mike "Hotstuff" Perez (or was that Hothead ;)) and Tony "Boom it!" Finau in the mix. Some would say Tony is the hands-down favorite, but in golf, you just never know, do you? Look at this year's PGA major winners.
Well, a number of people will be pretty disappointed this week watching Andrew Giuliani exit stage left on the Big Break Disney. And, you may be surprised to learn that I am one of those people.
I know, I know... some of you think I don't like him, but that's not true. I can't dislike someone I don't know. All I know is the guy on TV who said things that ticked off his competitors and made me laugh out loud. And tonight was no exception.
Andrew's comment about being shorter off the tee could be an advantage because he could hit first into the green was pretty funny. And comparing himself to Tiger Woods at the end - even his biggest fans have to admit - that was too much.
But you have to give him credit - he was a great showman every week and added a lot of entertainment value to this series. And not once did we see that temper we all read about when he was at Duke.
I wanted to interview Andrew the minute I heard he was on the Big Break way back in July, but when I asked for an interview I was told he was off limits. Maybe he is more like Tiger Woods than we think ;)
Yes, Andrew added a lot of drama to the show and stirred up the contestants with his constant talking, but there is no question he has talent. And he's already proven it - he won his first event as a pro - the 94th Met Open Championship held on Aug. 27 - only weeks after the Big Break ended its taping. So why would I want him to leave?
Now who is Gipper going to want to take out? Who will be the fly he can't kill next week? It looks to me like a big lovefest between the remaining contestants as far as I can tell. Or is that really true?
Maybe not...just maybe Kevin will be the target now. Certainly his continuous "Wows!" and "How am I still alive?" outbursts have rubbed a couple of people the wrong way, including his buddy, Mike Perez. I couldn't wait tonight to ask Mike and Kevin what each of them thought about Mike's retort, "If you don't feel like you should be here, why don't you just leave?" LOL!
I only wish I could have been with them watching this week's show - they're hanging out together in Scottsdale...
Gotta love those guys!
Tony rejoined the interview train this week. I'm so glad he did. I really wanted to find out if the Andrew/Gipper rivalry was mostly good TV editing or was there really an issue there...
I caught up with Blake early Wed to get his take on the first show since his elimination and how he felt about Andrew leaving the day after him. I think you might be surprised by some of the things he said.
Vincent always has some great commentary each week. I love chatting with him because I know I'll get very insightful observations. He never disappoints...
Now, has this series flown by or is it just me? I feel like we just got started and suddenly we're facing the final 4. Sure would be interesting to see Tony and Gipper face off. I wonder if they'll be the last two standing. What an ending that would make! I guess we'll just have to watch and see.
Well, it's the Tuesday before Christmas and although Big Break season is now over, I had to do one more Big Break interview before closing out the year. And who better than the latest Big Breaker to make it through grueling Q school to hit the big leagues - Big Break PEI's Gerina Mendoza.
