Most valuable prize in series history on the line for 11 professional golfers
ORLANDO, Fla. (April 18, 2011) – It will be winner take all as 11 professional golfers put their golf skills – and money – on the line when Golf Channel’s popular Big Break series returns for its 15th season on May 16 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Big Break Indian Wells will feature an all-male cast who are at different stages of their professional careers. Some have competed professionally on many of the world’s top tours, while others are just beginning their journey in professional golf. The 10-episode series will feature an all-new format – each competitor will begin with $5,000, with the objective to win each other’s earnings on the golf course and to be the last man standing. The champion will take home the most valuable prize in Big Break history – an exemption to a 2012 PGA TOUR event and a minimum of $55,000 in cash.
The contestants are:
Robbie Biershenk (34, Greenville, S.C.) – Younger brother of Nationwide Tour professional Tommy Biershenk, Robbie is owner of Shank’s Golf Range and Learning Center in Greenville. The laid-back Southerner is looking to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
Hernan “Piri” Borja (25, Coral Springs, Fla.) – Son of 1984 U.S. Olympic Soccer team captain Chico Borja, Piri wants to follow in the footsteps of his famous father by becoming an Olympian – only on the golf course. Piri is currently playing on the mini-tour circuits.
David Byrne (23, Essex, Ontario, Canada / Orlando, Fla.) – The youngest competitor on Big Break Indian Wells, Byrne has enormous talent. He recently graduated from the University of Detroit-Mercy, where he was 2010 Horizon League Player of the Year. Byrne gave up his amateur status and kicked off his professional golf career by competing on Big Break Indian Wells.
Kent Eger (30, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada / Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Confident and athletic, Eger is currently competing on the Canadian and Gateway Tours, recording victories on both circuits in 2010. Eger also has one additional leg up on the field – he is the lone competitor to have competed in a Major Championship, the 2010 U.S. Open.
Robert Floyd (35, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) – The most experienced competitor on Big Break Indian Wells, Floyd is the son of Hall-of-Famer Raymond Floyd. Robert has competed in more than 30 PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour events over the past the past 15 years, but has yet to achieve similar success as his father.
Oren Geri (37, Herzliya, Israel / Orlando, Fla.) – Both the top-ranked amateur and professional golfer from Israel, Geri has represented his native country in numerous International events, including several World Cup matches. He has competed on various mini-tours with moderate success over the past 15 years.
John Lepak (30, La Habra Heights, Calif.) – One of the most talented competitors on Big Break on and off the course, Lepak – also an artist and musician – has competed on the Gateway and Golden State Tours for the past several years, and believes his goal of competing on the PGA TOUR is within reach.
Will Lowery (26, Charlotte, N.C.) – A former competitive tennis player, Lowery plays golf like he is hitting tennis backhands by playing with a cross-handed grip. Lowery recently turned professional and volunteers at the First Tee of Charlotte, teaching life lessons and core values on and off the course to youth of similar backgrounds.
Russell Normandin (36, Woonsocket, R.I.) – A Master Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, Normandin is the first Big Break competitor in the history of the series to be on active duty. Currently deployed in Afghanistan for “Operation Enduring Freedom,” Normandin has one goal in mind: to be the only current active-duty Marine to compete on the PGA TOUR in 2012.
Justin Payne (30, Floydada, Texas) – Payne’s golf career has been victimized by bad breaks and bad timing. One of the top junior golfers coming out of Texas, Payne has had several false starts in getting his golf career on the fast track due to injuries and family matters. Currently, Payne competes part-time on the Adams Tour while managing the family ranch with his father.
Carl Whyte (32, Green Mount, Manchester, Jamaica / Salisbury, Md.) – A track athlete from Jamaica, Whyte turned professional in 2010 and wants to be the first Jamaican-born competitor on the PGA TOUR. He plays golf with three different grips – a baseball grip to hit straight golf shots, an interlocking grip to hit fades and an overlapping grip to hit draws.
Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott and Stephanie Sparks return as co-hosts for the series.
Filmed on location in January at Indian Wells Golf Resort in Indian Wells, Calif., the series will unfold on the resort’s two championship golf courses – Celebrity Course and Players Course. The Celebrity Course is a two-time host to the PGA TOUR’s Skins Game, and both courses are ranked as one of California’s top-20 courses by GOLF Magazine and Golfweek Magazine – the only 36-hole facility in the state to boast that honor.
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 Indian Wells, one contestant will be eliminated each week, with the last man standing crowned Big Break champion.
Past Big Break champions have won tournament exemptions to compete on some of the world’s top professional circuits, including the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Canadian Tour. Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey, Big Break VII: Reunion champion, is currently competing full-time on the PGA TOUR. Several other past Big Break competitors are currently competing on the world’s top tours, including Matt Every (PGA TOUR), James Nitties (Nationwide Tour), Kim Welch (Ladies European Tour) and Sara Brown, Gerina Mendoza, Ryann O’Toole and 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team member Kristy McPherson all competing on the LPGA Tour.
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 part of the NBC Sports Group, 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, a leading 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 Indian Wells Golf Resort
The Indian Wells Golf Resort, managed by Troon Golf, has been a popular golf travel destination for nearly 20 years with its two golf courses, four adjacent hotel/resorts and great winter climate leading the way. The City of Indian Wells, owner of the golf resort, decided to further elevate the Indian Wells golf experience by embarking on an ambitious facility-wide project that yielded two new golf courses – Celebrity Course opened November of 2006 and Players Course followed November of 2007. In addition, the spectacular IW Club (clubhouse) opened to the public in 2008. Soon after opening, it won 1st Place in the 2008 Golf Inc. magazine Clubhouse Competition. The richly appointed IW Club houses an impressive array of amenities including the Callaway Performance Center, fine and casual dining, jaw-dropping golf shop, sprawling patios, nine-hole lighted putting course, complete practice facility and a host of other amenities. For more information call 760.346.4653 or visit www.IndianWellsGolfResort.com.
Contact:
Jeremy Friedman
Golf Channel Public Relations
407-355-4058
407-721-9752 c
jfriedman@golfchannel.com
