Big Break Sandals 6: From Sucking to Saving

Well, this week's Big Break Sandals had some pretty hilarious moments.  Imagine 9 women of that caliber not being able to hit a tee shot into the fairway at 200 yards.

I know it's nerve racking and it's not "real golf", but it sure made me LOL to see all of them miss - especially the former Big Break Champions!  As Ashley so eloquently put it, "We all sucked!"

In the end, I think they all had a pretty good chuckle over it, except for Chris Brady.  Chris struggled in this week's show in all parts of her game.  Sometimes golf is like that.  But that's not to say she's not a good player.  Don't forget, she was the only contestant ever to get her LPGA card - she qualified for the 2008 season the hard way - through Q school. 

I wonder what she'll do now.  She had given up golf to work as a civil engineer in a construction firm, but saw the Big Break as her chance to relive her dream of being on the LPGA again.  It would be a shame if she missed that opportunity because of one bad day.


But while Chris plans her future, Sara Brown is making plans to holiday on Turks and Caicos.  Luck girl, or maybe, just darn talented!



Carling also enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in paradise after her teammate clenched immunity for her. Nice to see Carling and Sara on the same side this week. And I love the inside scoops Carling dishes out for me...



It's now officially nail-biting time. Only 5 players left. I wonder what surprises Golf Channel has in store for a finale.

Golfgal

Golf getaways aren't just for golfguys!

I’ve been hearing about golf escapes for men for years, always feeling a twinge of envy when I read about the fun they have and lifetime memories they take away from their trips. I always wondered sadly why we never hear about getaways for golfgals. I figured it was just that women were too wrapped up in the daily grind of life and didn’t place enough value in weekend escapes to golf with their buddies.

But then I met Sue Daugulis and Ginny Golding -- two amazing women who taught me what GOLF really means.

Check out my 3 day adventure with Ginny, Sue and over 20 women at Talking Rock, Rivershore and the award winning Tobiano, where  we played and partied like only golfgals can...

Can't wait to do it all again next year!

Golfgal

Big Break Sandals 5: Extraordinary Eagles and Exits

Lots of WOW moments on this week's Big Break Sandals.

Wow, did you see Sara's eagle!

Wow, did Taryn really wiff on TV?

Wow, check out Taryn's amazing comeback 80 yard pitch to almost eagle out on that 479 yard par 5.

And WOW, did Ryann really get eliminated this week? Now THAT surprised me.

Ryann's long and strong and a great player. Hey, she's won two Duramed FUTURES Tour events this year already!

But in golf, even the best have bad days and it just wasn't in the cards for Ryann this week. I will be at the Canadian Women's Open this August and look forward to watching Ryann show her game there. She's already qualified. I can't wait to watch her in person.

Carling joined me again this week with her thoughts on the day and on the comments she heard for the first time from her competitors who were watching her swing her club and hips after nailing the playoff win...



They say that golf is a game of inches, but with Sara Brown, it's a game of 1/2 inches. Imagine what it was like going from missing immunity by a 1/2 inch to holing an eagle to avoid final elimination. Wow...what a day that girl had!



Taryn also had a pretty down, down and then waaaay up day on the island. Sometimes you wonder where they get the energy to keep plugging. Well, it sure paid off this week for Taryn. Find out what she thought over that 80 yard wedge shot on the final elimination against Ryann.



Well, next week looks like lots of fun and nostalgic too with BB champions returning. It would be great to see them really go head to head with the new ladies. Until then...

Golfgal

Big Break Sandals 4: Stacey Stumbles

Always sad to see someone leave the Big Break, but for a Canadian, it was particularly tough for me to watch Stacey take the walk.

I was just getting to know her with our first interview last week and then suddenly, she's gone. I hate it when that happens!

But I don't think she'll be forgotten. Stacey's "beach shot" in last week's show was pretty unforgettable. And doing in front of Greg Norman was pure icing on the cake.

But isn't it amazing how one day you can do no wrong and the next, nothing goes right?

Stacey could have used a little of Seema's incredible luck, but given all the little breaks that occurred on that show for others, it seems, as GC said, that luck just ran out for Stacey that day.

So sorry to see you go, Stacey,but I hope to see you at the LPGA's CN Women's Open in August.

Caught up with Carling this week to chat about the show and what it was like watching her good friend Stacey leave. And I had to ask about Seema's SAVE card (was it a plant?) and Chris' state of mind that day. What was that about? Luckily, Carling cleared up a lot of things for me...



Sara was off playing the CN ladies event up here in Canada this week. I was able to chat with her on her ride back to the US. She did very well - 4th place finish! Well done Sara!

And, having missed her last week, I really wanted to get her thoughts on both last week's show and this week's...



Next week, what surprises will GC bring us? No idea, but looking foward to finding out!

Golfgal

Big Break Sandals 3: Maiya can't fend off shark attack

I think Carling spoke for all of us golfgals tonight when she said, "I have a crush on Greg Norman."

Oh ladies, don't we all? From the day I saw him in that sexy "down under" straw hat in the 80's, I was hooked line and sinker by The Shark. And I didn't take up golf until 20 years later!

His kind of charisma doesn't wear off with age, so no wonder these young Big Breakers were overwhelmed by his presence. If the first immunity challenge was any indication, most of these ladies were a tad "off their game" around one of the greatest players in the world.

I am not sure if Maiya was still feeling the pressure of the "flop shot" foozle she made in the first immunity challenge, but it was sad that her short game betrayed her in the elimination challenge to none other than her former college teammate, Ryann.

Frankly, her drive and 2nd shot were pretty good - not really long, but still good shots. I was expecting a solid up and down from Maiya in the end, but it was not to be. Not that it really mattered with Ryann's great birdie putt, but I would have liked to see Ryann win the hole over Maiya, instead of Maiya losing it. Too bad...

I wonder if sending her friend home will have an impact on future episodes for Ryann. I guess we won't know until we watch...

Speaking of birdies...

Although Stacey did not have to hole-out to achieve immunity, her shot from the beach was truly a stroke of genius. I couldn't wait to ask her about it during our first interview tonight...



Thanks Stacey!

Had a chance to catch up with Taryn today and get her take on this week's show and the drama going on around her...



Carling also joined me to talk about the difficult day she had, battling blood sugar levels and barbs with Sara. Had to ask her how that started and how it all worked out in the end.



Thanks ladies!

Golfgal