GOLF CHANNEL’S ‘BIG BREAK’ MARATHONS CONTINUE MONDAY WITH BIG BREAK IRELAND
Filmed at Historic K Club in Kildare, Ireland and Featuring Cast of Six Men and Six Women, Series Marathon Airs 7 a.m.-6 p.m. / 8-11 p.m. ET
Big Break Marathons Extended Through Monday June 8; Big Break The Palm Beaches and Big Break Mexico Upcoming Marathons
Big Break Mexico Launches on GOLFPASS Today, 18 Seasons Now Available
ORLANDO, Fla. – GOLF Channel continues its “Big Break Monday” marathons with an encore presentation of Big Break Ireland, the series’ 16th season featuring a cast of six male and six female professional golfers, filmed at historic K Club in Ireland, home to the 2006 Ryder Cup.
Initially premiering in 2011, the 10-episode Big Break Ireland season will air in its entirety on Monday from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET, along with a primetime encore of the final three episodes from 8-11 p.m. ET.
The 10-episode season featured a cast of 12 competing against each other in golf skills challenges in an attempt to make their lifelong dream of playing alongside the world’s top golfers a reality. The competitors initially were grouped as six-person teams, with the series eliminating players each episode. Once the season narrowed, the teams dissolved and players competed against each other to stave off elimination, with the last one standing crowned Big Break champion.
The finale featured an 18-hole championship match between Ireland native Mark Murphy and Julien Trudeau that took place on the Palmer Ryder Cup Course at The K Club. The up and down match, which featured Trudeau winning the final two holes in regulation, required a sudden-death playoff on the par-5 18th hole, where Murphy defeated Trudeau to become Big Break Ireland champion.
Murphy, Rocco Mediate’s former caddie and currently director of golf at The Fox Club in Palm City, Fla., earned exemptions to compete in the 2012 Irish Open and the Hassan II Golf Trophy on the European Tour as a result of winning Big Break Ireland, making the cut in both and finishing 58th (+1, Irish Open) and 52nd (-1, Hassan II Trophy). He also earned more than $80,000 in cash and prizes as a result of winning Big Break Ireland.
Trudeau, a longtime PGA TOUR caddie currently on the bag for PGA TOUR winner Adam Long, married fellow Big Break Ireland competitor Mallory Blackwelder in 2014. They have a one-year old daughter, Madeleine.
Additional cast members from Big Break Ireland include Andy Walker, current men’s golf coach at Lynn University (reigning NCAA DII national champions and 2019 national coach of the year) and former LPGA Tour players Kelly Jacques and Nicole Smith.
Members of the cast are scheduled to engage on Twitter throughout the day on Monday using #BigBreak.
The cast of Big Break Ireland include:
Mallory (Blackwelder) Trudeau
Annie Brophy
Joe Campbell
Kelly (Jacques) Hodges
Bennett Maki
Matthew Melrose
Mark Murphy (winner)
Nina (Rodriguez) Valencia
Nicole (Smith) Pattullo
Julien Trudeau (runner-up)
Andy Walker
Whitney (Wright) Goodman
BIG BREAK MARATHONS EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 8: Big Break marathons will now continue to air through Monday, June 8 as a result of the viewership and social media engagement successes of the series’ return to television. Future Big Break marathons include:
Monday, June 1 Big Break The Palm Beaches (23rd season)
Monday, June 8 Big Break Mexico (19th season)
BIG BREAK MEXICO BECOMES 18TH SEASON AVAILABLE ON GOLFPASS: Big Break Mexico launches today on GOLFPASS, golf’s only comprehensive digital membership that offers everything golfers love about the game, to bring the total number of series on GOLFPASS to 18. Each week, full Big Break seasons are launching on GOLFPASS, with seasons currently available including Big Break I; Big Break II: Las Vegas; Big Break III: Ladies Only; Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe; Big Break V: Hawaii; Big Break VI: Trump National; Big Break VII: Reunion; Big Break Mesquite, Big Break Sandals Resorts, Big Break Ka’anapali, Big Break Prince Edward Island, Big Break X: Michigan, Big Break Dominican Republic, Big Break Indian Wells, Big Break Ireland, Big Break Atlantis, Big Break Greenbrier and Big Break Mexico.
The Big Break series concept, which was at the forefront of the reality competition craze started by Survivor in the late 1990’s, features professional golfers competing in skills challenges that test their physical abilities and mental toughness, finding themselves in situations when these words from legendary golfer Ben Hogan were never proven more true: “The most important shot in golf is the next one.” On Big Break, the competitors must perform or be eliminated.
Champions from each season of Big Break received his or her “Big Break,” exemption(s) to compete on the world’s top professional tours. Big Break provided break-out opportunities for current tour professionals, including Wesley Bryan, Matt Every, Tony Finau, Tommy Gainey, Kristy McPherson, Ryann O’Toole, Gerina Piller, Jackie Stoelting and Richy Werenski.
The series also featured other memorable characters like Sara Brown (Big Break Sandals Resorts), Mark Farnham (Big Break I), Eddie Gardino (Big Break IV: USA vs Europe), Andrew Giuliani (Big Break Dominican Republic), Mark Murphy (Big Break Ireland), Chad Pfeifer (Big Break The Palm Beaches), Anthony Rodriguez (Big Break VIII: Mesquite) and Bri Vega (Big Break VI: Trump National), among many others.
GOLF Channel Upcoming “Big Break Mondays” Programming Schedule
Monday, May 25 Big Break Ireland
Monday, June 1 Big Break The Palm Beaches
Monday, June 8 Big Break Mexico
GOLFPASS Big Break Programming:
Available to Stream Now:
Big Break I
Big Break II: Las Vegas
Big Break III: Ladies Only
Big Break IV: USA vs Europe
Big Break V: Hawaii
Big Break VI: Trump National
Big Break VII: Reunion
Big Break Mesquite
Big Break Prince Edward Island
Big Break X: Michigan
Big Break Ka’anapali
Big Break Sandals Resorts
Big Break Dominican Republic
Big Break Indian Wells
Big Break Ireland
Big Break Atlantis
Big Break Greenbrier
Big Break Mexico (Today)
-NBC Sports Group-
Media Contacts:
Jeremy Friedman
GOLF Channel Communications
407-721-9752
Jeremy.Friedman@GolfChannel.com
Dan Higgins
GOLF Channel / GOLFPASS Communications
407-496-8107
Dan.Higgins@GolfChannel.com
