ORLANDO, Fla., April 30, 2010 – Competition will be at an all-time high when Golf Channel’s popular Big Break series returns for a 13th season in June. Featuring an all-female cast who will bring serious golf skills, beauty and brains, Big Break Sandals Resorts will premiere June 21 at 9 p.m. ET.
Taking place at Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma, Bahamas, Big Break Sandals Resorts will showcase a field of 11 women – nine currently play on the Duramed FUTURES Tour – competing against each other in an attempt to make their lifelong dream of playing alongside the world’s top golfers a reality. While many of the competitors are friends and travel companions on the road, when it comes to Big Break, those friendships will be put to the test. In addition to other prizes, the winner will receive an exemption to compete in an LPGA Tour event and a Ladies European Tour event.
The contestants are:
Lili Alvarez (26, El Paso, Texas) – One of Mexico’s elite amateur golfers who grew up competing alongside Lorena Ochoa, Alvarez’s fun loving personality is infectious on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. A student at Tulane University in New Orleans who endured the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Alvarez learned to appreciate life to the fullest.
Stacey Bieber (25, Fort Worth, Texas) – Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Bieber nearly quit golf after college to pursue a professional career in investment banking. Realizing she could not give up her dream of one day competing on the LPGA Tour, she re-dedicated herself to the game. Her goal is to be on the LPGA Tour in 2011.
Chris Brady (25, Charlotte, N.C.) – The lone contestant who had exempt status on the LPGA Tour (2008), Brady hung up her golf clubs when her game and the economy took a downturn in 2009 to pursue an engineering career. Big Break Sandals Resorts will be her test to see if she has the competitive fire and passion to resume her golf career and attempt to return to the LPGA Tour.
Sara Brown (24, Tucson, Ariz.) – After a successful collegiate career at Michigan State University and a stellar rookie season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, Brown endured a “sophomore slump” in 2009, to the point where her usual smile turned to frustration, nearly causing her to quit the game. Refreshed and energized after a winter hiatus, Brown has her eyes set on winning Big Break Sandals Resorts.
Carling Coffing (24, Middletown, Ohio) – A sweet, Midwestern young lady on the surface, Coffing is a tough competitor who has overcome enormous odds to achieve her dream to be a professional golfer. Coffing was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 5, and after years of giving herself dozens of shots every day, she switched to a diabetic insulin pump in 2008, which is connected to her 24 hours a day. Coffing now competes full-time on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.
Taryn Durham (24, Glasgow, Ky.) – The quintessential All-American sweetheart, Durham has the looks, the southern charm and southern accent. While Durham’s resume stacks up with her fellow competitors, she has an edge over her fellow competitors in that she is the only contestant who has competed in a Major Championship (2007 U.S. Women’s Open).
Ryann O’Toole (23, Los Angeles, Calif.) – The youngest competitor on Big Break Sandals Resorts, O’Toole’s mission is to dominate women’s golf. A recent graduate from UCLA – she was a teammate of fellow contestant Maiya Tanaka – O’Toole also is one of the longest hitters in the field, averaging more than 260 yards per drive in tournaments she has played in 2010.
Elena Robles (26, Redondo Beach, Calif.) – A fierce competitor who works numerous odd jobs to make ends meet (substitute teaching, modeling and serving as an extra in television and film), Robles has a history of having a fiery temper on the course. After finding faith and re-dedicating herself to golf in 2009, Robles believes her goal to compete on the LPGA Tour is within reach.
Seema Sadekar (24, Las Vegas, Nev.) – One of the most fashionable players on the women’s golf circuit – she has a custom-made golf bag covered in faux diamonds and wears stylish golf attire – Sadekar always manages to be noticed wherever she goes. In addition to competing full-time on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, Sadekar is heavily involved with her older sister’s golf events company, and also is co-founder of a golf marketing and apparel company.
Kelly Sheehan (32, Orlando, Fla.) – The lone contestant who has not competed full-time on the professional circuit, Sheehan plans to channel her 10 years of experience as a certified PGA of America and LPGA teaching professional to overcome the various challenges facing her on Big Break Sandals Resorts.
Maiya Tanaka (24, San Diego, Calif.) – A success story from The First Tee Program, Tanaka currently lives out of her car and competes on four professional golf tours (Golden State, California Players, Cactus and the Duramed FUTURES Tours). Tanaka and fellow Big Break contestant Ryann O’Toole were teammates at UCLA and are longtime friends.
Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott, the network’s lead voice for its LPGA Tour coverage, will make his Big Break debut as host, joining co-host Stephanie Sparks to add insight during the 10-episode series.
Big Break Sandals Resorts will unfold on one of the most picturesque golf courses in the world, Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club at Sandals Emerald Bay. A Greg Norman design, Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club is a 7,200 yard, par 72 oceanside golf course that features six signature holes hugging the perimeter of Emerald Bay’s scenic peninsula overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
Filmed on location in February, Golf Channel cameras rolled not only on the golf course but also from sunrise until well after sunset each evening at the contestants’ Oceanside villa to capture all of the interaction off the course. The series also will feature new challenges, twists and special surprise guest appearances, including Greg Norman himself.
The Big Break show concept pits highly skilled golfers against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness. During Big Break Sandals Resorts, one contestant will be eliminated each week, with the last player standing awarded her Big Break, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in select professional tour events with some of the best players in the world.
Past Big Break champions have won tournament exemptions to compete on some of the world’s top professional circuits, such as the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Canadian Tour. Several previous female contestants have gone on to compete on the LPGA Tour, including Kristy McPherson, a member of the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team.
Sandals Resorts’ newest gem, Sandals Emerald Bay, officially opened its doors Feb. 4. The 500-acre luxury resort features 183 beachfront rooms and suites all equipped with professionally trained butlers, five a-la-carte gourmet restaurants, a world-class marina, an exclusive 29,000-square-foot Red Lane® Spa, an array of land sports, including six illuminated Har-tru tennis courts and a host of watersports including scuba diving for certified divers.
About Golf Channel
Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. The Golf Channel cable network, co-founded by Arnold Palmer and a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is available in more than 120 million homes worldwide through cable, satellite and wireless companies. Exclusive partnerships with the world’s top tours allow Golf Channel to feature more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, added to a programming schedule distinguished by golf’s best news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platform of businesses is led by www.GolfChannel.com, the number-one golf destination on the Internet, delivering unmatched coverage of the world of golf, as well as services that help the recreational player with how to play, what to play and where to play golf.
About Sandals Resorts
Sandals Resorts has earned a worldwide reputation for providing two people in love with the most romantic vacation experience in the Caribbean. Currently, there are 14 Luxury Included® Sandals Resorts located in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia and The Bahamas. Each offers stunning beachfront locations; a choice of a-la-carte restaurants, from white-glove dining to barefoot elegance; all premium brand wine and spirits, including an exclusive partnership with California’s legendary Beringer Vineyards; luxurious accommodations in a range of categories; unrivaled watersports including the Caribbean’s largest PADI certification program; Butler Service for truly indulgent pampering; Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart™; and signature Red Lane® Spas, with services and treatments inspired by the region. In February, 2010, Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas made its debut, offering 183 all-butler service rooms and suites, an 18-hole championship Greg Norman designed golf course and 150 slip marina.
Sandals Resorts has set the industry standard for the Luxury Included® vacation and has been voted the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand at the World Travel Awards for 16 years in a row, and World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company for 14 years in a row. For more information, call your local travel agent or 1-800-Sandals (1-800-726-3257) or visit www.sandals.com.
Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Public Relations
407-355-4058
jfriedman@golfchannel.com
