Last night I shared with you Christina Lecuyer's views on the third episode of The Big Break Ka'anapali.  Tonight it's my pleasure to introduce contestant Tina Miller and get her thoughts on the series and this latest episode.

For those of you who don't know Tina too well, let me fill you in a bit...

Tina started golfing when she was 7 and competed throughout high school, winning the Florida Women's State Junior Girls event twice. She attended the University of Miami, graduating with a BA in Graphic Design/Marketing (Ah ah! Now I know why her website is so cool).

At college, Tina won seven times before she graduated in 2005 and turned pro. Tina has played in two US Women's Open Championships ('04 and '05) and two LPGA events (the 2005 Wendy's Championship for Children and the 2007 Corning Classic) on sponsor's invites.

She also made it to the final stage of LPGA Q-school both times she entered. In 2006, her rookie year on the Duramed Futures tour, Tina finished in the top 50 on the money list and had a T4th at the Lake Geneva event.

In 2007, Tina faced a number of personal struggles and chose not to try and qualify for the LPGA that year, even though she came so close the year before. When the BB came along, Tina was not playing golf very much, spending most of her time modeling in Sunice golf catalogs and the 2008 Golf Digest World Ladies Golf calendar. No, Tina's not the Big Breaker who did the nude calendars - that's Sophie.

Since the BB series, Tina has a new lease on life. She's engaged and  working hard on getting her game back in shape to try and qualify for the LPGA and European tours in September. Somehow I think she just might make that happen. This girl has lots of spunk and talent.

Now, let's find out what she has to say about the show so far...

Welcome Tina!  So how did you become part of the Big Break Ka'anapali?

I actually auditioned for BB 6 (Trump) and was declined,  so I wasn't sure if I wanted to audition again. Among other professionals, Big Break gives you a reputation that you're always going to be a Big Break golfer and that's not something I wanted.  I wanted to get on the LPGA my own way and not have to get there via the TV show.

However my 2007 season wasn't very good and some people recommended that the BB 7 would be a good fit for me, so I applied online and one the producers called me and asked me if I wanted to audition in person. They had audition sites at Futures Tour events, so I was supposed to audition at the Albany event, but my grandpa was very sick and I couldn't go.

The Golf Channel was nice and allowed me to audition in Florida after my grandpa passed away, so I flew down to Orlando from Baltimore for my audition.  After it was over,  I thought maybe I talked too much <giggles>, but they actually really liked me and called me back and told me they were considering me.  Then before I knew it, they called and said I was on the show. They wouldn't tell me where it was, but they said, "Bring sunscreen." 

A week before the show, they actually told us where it was.   It was kind of a whirlwind, but it was awesome that of the thousands of girls who applied, I got on the show.  It felt great that the Golf Channel thought that I needed a Big Break and thought that I'd be good for the show.  It was a long process, but it was fun.

So Tina, last week we watched you in a very intense elimination challenge with Cerbie and you said "I've never felt pressure like I did today."  Given how many tournaments you've won and US Opens you've played, that was surprising to me.  Where did that pressure come from?

I think it was the fact that was just short game and I didn't know Cerbie's game at that point.  I had seen her hit some shots that weren't that good.   However, if people were to judge that of me and the first few shots I had hit in certain challenges, then they'd think that I wasn't the best golfer in the world either. If they didn't know who I was and didn't know that I competed in college and won 7 times, they'd think, "She'll definitely be one of the first girls to go!"

I'm not going to say that Cerbie's game was bad, because I really couldn't judge it at that point. It's the Big Break -- it's not going out and playing rounds of golf with one another -- it's hitting different shots. So I guess because it was short game, and her putting is decent actually, I was thinking she could drain some long putts here.

I really didn't want to be the first eliminated on the Big Break. I didn't want to go home against someone who everyone here had been dogging, and kind of belittling, her game.  I was also putting a little pressure on myself because I survived a  really hard elimination challenge the day before and I didn't want to go home by missing a short putt or losing to someone who doesn't have the experience I do.

Did Cerbie rattle you with her pace of play issues last week?

The funny thing about it...it honestly  didn't hit me that it was taking that long, until I heard Stina and Andrew say, "We are going on 4 minutes and 15 seconds."  And then I said, "Are you kidding me!?"

I was so focused on doing my own thing that I didn't realize how long it was taking.  I tried to really not let it affect me.

Well, you certainly played well today!  Given how the players chose their positions on the first immunity challenge, did you have a plan for that?

I'm really good at flop shots.  One of things I did work on before heading out to the show was my flop shot because you know the wall is going to be on BB.  So I practiced.

The reason I didn't want to choose the sixth position was that I didn't want to get too cute with it.  In the fifth position, I knew I could get it up high enough, quick enough and long enough to get it into the circle.

When I had to go back down for another immunity challenge with Courtney and Kim, the first thing I thought was, "It's never going to be easy for me on this show!"  On the last episode, when Courtney and I were against each other on the blind distance shot, we had to go back twice and they didn't show it on TV because it was too much footage.  So we actually tied twice more and then eventually I tried to go for the four points and was too pumped up and [it] hit the green and rolled over. 

So, how did immunity feel for the first time? :)

It was awesome!

Did you have favorites in the elimination pairings? 

I really didn't, because they are all my competitors and I knew they were all good golfers. and you knew two people were going to go home and you feel bad for them, but then that's two more you don't have to worry about.

If I had to choose -- in the back of my mind, my favorites were probably Liz and Sam. Liz because I've known here for the past few years -- we played college golf and the Futures Tour together.  I really didn't know Sophie that well, but she's a very nice girl.  Nothing against Adrienne either -- really good girl. 

Everybody that was there, the Golf Channel picked because they felt that we needed a big break for one reason or another.  So when somebody goes home after getting to know them, hearing their stories and what they've struggled through the past few years playing the mini tours and trying to make it to the LPGA,  you feel bad.  But at the same time, you're thinking, "Okay, that's two less I have to worry about."

But Liz and Adrienne were the two that put the most pressure on themselves.  Liz needed things too much and Adrienne couldn't settle for anything less than perfect.  That's probably the reason why they were the next two to go.

Is Susan a wolf in sheep's clothing?  She seems so flaky on TV, but really pulls off the shots when she needs them.

She's just a happy-go-lucky girl. I played with her in a practice round and her short game was really good. She wasn't very impressive as a whole, but I think she is one of the girls who is sneaky good.  You know [like when] you play a round of golf with someone and shoot a 74 and you ask her what she shot and she says, "71" and you say "What?!" 

She's just sneaky good. She says what she feels and she says stuff all the time and you look at her and say, "Did you really just say that!?" <laughs> That's her personality and I think a lot of the girls underestimated her.  I played a practice round with her when we got there and I knew she had some game.  She's got a great amateur record too - she's no slouch.  Obviously she turned pro for the show and she's definitely the girl that just keeps shocking people every week.

Anything else you want to share from this week's show?

When I woke up the day of this episode I wanted to get into the immunity zone as fast as I could.  Whereas in past times I was very hesitant, thinking that I had to hit good shots because I was on TV, this time around I said, "You know, it not about being on TV, it's about me getting on that bench and getting on that bench quick!" <laughs>

Sounds like a good plan! Tina's off to Minnesota next week for a US Open Qualifying event so we'll catch up with her there after next week's show.  Good Luck, Tina!

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Photo of Tina Miller, courtesy www.Playgolfdesigns.com

Well, it certainly was an exciting and somewhat shocking show this week, don't you think?   The good news...we got to watch some great golf shots.  But sadly, two contestants had to take the walk of shame on the fourth episode of The Big Break Ka'anapali.  I had some mixed feelings about these two particular ladies leaving.

We all know how badly Liz Struart needed a Big Break and to watch her hit the wall and then miss that bunker shot...it was really sad to hear her say she might have to give up golf for an office job.  Oh, I sure hope not...I have an office job and, Liz, you really don't want to go there...

And then Adrienne Gautreaux...that was a big shocker to me.  She seems to have so much game and confidence.  Listening to her talk to her ball reminded me of Hal Sutton at the 2000 Players Championship when he said, "Be the right club today!"

Unfortunately for Adrienne, she had the right club, just a poor putting stroke.

Oh well...as they say...that's golf!  Now let's hear what Christina Lecuyer thought of the show...

So Christina, you're at home today before heading to my neck of the woods for a tournament later this month.  It must be nice to have a chance to watch the BB with your family and friends.

Yes, except for my comment at the end of the show: "Did they not realize I was that good?"  <laughs>

Everyone in the house is making fun of me right now.  I can't believe I said that. I  am trying to figure out what I was talking about and how I said that.  You know I really don't remember.

I guess we'll find out next week...

Anyway, everyone came over for a BBQ -- about 10 friends and family.  They were all yelling and cheering and were really interested. It was really nice.

You played really well on this episode.  Did you, at the time, regret not hitting from the 6th spot like Dana to get immunity earlier?  She made it look so easy (which I know it's not).

I thought Dana was so smart. I wasn't even thinking 6, but I was thinking 5, but then I saw a whole bunch of people set up for 4 and so I said to myself, "Yeah, I might as well go for 4."  But Dana was smart, because really, at 4, I was out anyway.  So you might as well go for 6 and hit and hope, you know.  She played that shot extremely smart.

Any surprises in the first immunity challenge?

I was kind of shocked about Adrienne [she chunked it] and then Liz hitting the wall, but the whole time [Liz] was on the show she really wasn't too confident; I think she was thinking about the grand prize too much.

Well, she certainly had a bad day today between the wall and the bunker...

And then Sophie sinking that shot!  My gosh, that was like a one-in-a-million shot.  I can't believe she sunk it. I mean congratulations to her, but my gosh, that was quite the uphill, breaking, fast, hit- the-back-of-the-cup putt.

But that's what golf is, right?  Those things happen and you have to expect it.

Absolutely, that's what golf is.  You have to expect they're going to make it 100% of the time so you're not disappointed.

I also thought when Liz was in the confessional that you could read defeat in her face when she was talking.

Yes, you could see it.  And I knew what was going to happen, so I was thinking that perhaps only I could see it, but I definitely think others saw it too.

But poor Liz, she really had a bad day.  And you know, that's the thing about this show, you can't afford to have a bad day or a even bad shot.

Adrienne was a shocker to me -- she was the last person I expected to see go home today. 

Oh my gosh, absolutely.  Everyone I think was dumbfounded when she left the show.  She was the only person I knew before going into this show and I was shocked.  I thought for sure she'd be there.

Kim said she liked both Adrienne and Sam, but she wanted Sam to win. You can tell that Sam is well loved by the whole group.  No one ever says anything bad about her which is quite rare on this show.

Sam is fabulous.  Everyone likes her. She's Sam -- she's just about perfect.

That bunker shot on the second challenge looked really tough.  Susan was amazing!  How surprised were you with her bunker play?

That girl has a short game!  You know, we've watched her now in a couple of episodes and she's shocked us every time.  It's her naivety -- she just goes out there and does it.  It's fantastic.

In the interviews with the elimination players, they had two sets of clothes on...what was that about?

There are two interviews -- a scheduled interview right after the challenges and the Confessional, where you can come back later whenever you want, so you can change your clothes or whatever.

Lori said in her confessional, "Christina is getting a little too intense for me."  What was that all about?

I have no idea because at that time she and I were still buddy-buddy.  But obviously that's when the back-talking started.  I realized it later on, but I guess it started a lot earlier than I thought it did. I was kind of shocked by that, because I'm thinking "Why wouldn't you be intense?" I think everyone is intense.  That's who I am and some people like it and some people don't and she obviously didn't like it.

Do you think that she said that later in a taping and they brought it forward to increase the drama?

Knowing Lori, she probably said it at that time. I think maybe she's the type of person who'll say one thing to your face and something else behind your back.  I really don't know.

You definitely have to take this show and the things that are said with a grain of salt.  I'm hoping I can look back at this and say "whatever" and others will do the same when they look at my little comment at the end when I say, "Did they not realize I was that good?  <chuckles>

Any closing remarks?

Just that I really don't know what my last comment on the show was about. <laughs>

No seriously, everyone should watch next week because it's everyone's favorite challenge -- glass breaking.  Everyone is asking me if I broke the glass, but they'll all have to watch next week to find out.

--------------------------------

Well, three down...eight more to go.  Who will surprise us next week?  I am not even going to try and guess who gets eliminated.  After this week's shockers, anything can happen and obviously does on this series.

So I'll meet you back here next week so we can be surprised together and hear if Christina breaks her glass or someone else's.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Last week we were left a little high and dry without an elimination on the Big Break Ka'anapali, but not this week.

Now don't get me wrong...I don't wish anyone back luck, but I did expect to see someone go home and when it didn't happen, I felt like I was watching the last episode of a major TV show with a "continued next week" at the end.  Having to wait a whole week to find out who would be the first to go home would have been really tough if I hadn't been enjoying 5 days of 90 degree golf in Vegas.  Fun fun fun!  When you live in Canada and it's April, and you're itching to play in something other than a ski jacket, basking in 90 degree weather and watching your balls fly 20 yards longer than they do at home is pure heaven.

Anyway, although not everyone on the Golf Forums out there is enamored with BB Ka'anapali, I have to admit, I can't wait to get home on Tuesdays to watch it.

This week was a good show and finally someone went home.  If you didn't watch the show, you wouldn't be surprised to hear that the barefoot "Iron Warrior", Cirbie Sheppard was eliminated this week.  But you'd probably be surprised to learn how close she came to beating out the much more experienced, Tina Miller (who has won 7 tournaments in college and played in two US Women's Open Championships ('04 and '05) and two LPGA events (the 2005 Wendy's Championship for Children and the 2007 Corning Classic) on sponsor's invites.)

Let's hear what Christina Lecuyer thought of this week's show (sorry Christina, I know you're a bit shy, but I couldn't resist this great pool shot :))...

First impressions of last night's show?

I thought it was a lot better than the last show.

That was a pretty cool immunity challenge playing blind shots like that. 

It was.  You know, I had no idea that my ball went off the green by that little because we didn't get to see our second shot.  So I was kind of disappointed because I hit two really good shots and didn't win, but I was also happy because I was really trying to hit good shots this time because last show I didn't hit many good shots.

After hitting such good shots, you must have been disappointed when Lori not only got immunity, but then the $5K check in the bonus round that could have been yours.

Yeah, it was tough to choke down that due to the fact that I hit some good shots.  I didn't even get a chance to swing at it for $5,000 so that was pretty disappointing sitting there, knowing I couldn't compete.  I am sure my mouth just dropped down to the ground when we all first heard about the $5,000 bonus.

You said after Lori won the $5K you were happy for her, but that after 2 good shots you weren't sure how you'd feel that night.  How did you really feel?

At the time she and I were getting along pretty well and so I said, "Okay, sounds good - good job, let's move on"  At that time I was also hoping there would be more opportunities like that ahead.  So I just said to myself, "Let's get safe today and hope for another opportunity tomorrow."

Liz seems to be very desperate - much more than the others.  She's said many times how much she needs this.

I know Liz pretty well and it is actually quite sad because out of all the people on the show she needs the money more than any of us.  You know, she lives on food stamps sometimes and can't fly into some events.  She'll play an event and then have to take a month off to work.  So she really needs the money.

That makes a lot of sense and now I understand why she said about Sophie, "I hope she gets 2 zeros.", while Sophie just said Liz was great.

Absolutely, and I was actually glad someone else said what they really think.  Even Susan, who in the early Big Break commercials, made some comment about my "I hope she chokes" said, "Hey if it's your competitor, of course you don't want them to do well."  So at the beginning I looked bad, but now everyone else is saying, "Hey this is a competition and I'm here to win."  If you're not here to win, why are you here?  I think finally everyone is starting to figure that out. 

In fact, I was just in a meeting with Kathy Whitworth - all time great LPGA Hall of Famer and she just said, "If you're not here to win, why do you play?"

Stina said that you have "a lot of guts."  She seems quite impressed with you.  What did you think when heard that last night?

I liked that complement. In fact, both Stina and Andrew said that I like to take risks.  In another interview I had, I was asked if I always take those kinds of risks.  And you know... after hearing these comments, I think on that show I took more risks than I do in a normal golf event. 

Lately I haven't been playing very well and and now I'm thinking I've been playing too tentatively.  On the show I played like I did in college.  In college, I wasn't afraid of anyone and I went out every week and said to my boyfriend, "I'm going to win."  And now I see all these players on the tour and feel intimidated and so I play it safe.  But now I'm thinking I have to start to play the way I know I can play and believe I can beat everyone, and when I do that, I know I'll do a lot better.

First we saw Cirbie playing in bare feet and now we see Adrienne hitting shots off her knees on the range?  Does she always practice like that?

<laugh> No...that was just a fun thing they taped.  We were goofing around on the range and we were all still getting along, so she was just having some fun.

In your words from the show, the elimination challenge was a combination of "Holy Moly" and "Holy Mother of Pearl".  Ha ha...sounds like you and everyone else were pretty shocked during that challenge. 

<big laugh> My boyfriend's mother told me not to swear on the show because all her friends would be watching and so I text messaged her and said, "See...I'm 3 shows down...noooo swearing!"

Was it really that Cirbie played better than normal or was Tina off her game.  Is Tina typically that reckless off the tee?  Is she really that inconsistent? Being in two eliminations, you have to start to wonder.

You know I was talking to one of my girlfriends, Kelly, who said that she knew Tina as an unbelievable player.  I didn't know Tina, but from what I saw, I didn't see her as any type of threat.  But now looking at her bio and her record - how good she was in college and she's played in a couple of Opens, I'm wondering...this girl could barely beat Cirbie who can't even hit her own shadow!

However I was impressed in the end. My boyfriend thought I was being sarcastic when I said, "Good job Cirbie", but I really wasn't.  She really hacked it out to stay in the game with Tina that long.  I felt really badly for her.  They didn't show it, but she was crying and she was so nervous she could barely hold the club.  So we were all feeling really sorry for her.  But we also all knew she'd be the first one eliminated.  Tina really didn't put up a fight.

What do you think Cirbie's handicap is? 

I have no idea, but it's not very good.  To be honest I understand from a TV perspective why they would pick her, but she had no chance.  I don't understand the reasoning, but it's hard to advertise her as one of the top 12 women in golf when it's obvious she really can't play golf.

We heard you say on camera, "I'd hate to play a round of golf with her [Cirbie]."

Oh my, it was horrendous. It was like, "Come On!!!"  She took literally 5 minutes on 1 putt.  Unbelievable.

Was she doing that to rattle Tina or was she just being clueless and shoeless?

I don't think she knew what she was doing - she wasn't thinking about anything at that point.

Stina said that Cirbie was "on the clock" - was that really true - did they say something to her?

Yes, they took her aside and said they were giving her 1 minute per shot. So, we knew she wouldn't do very well in the playoff because they rushed her.  To be honest, if she had had 5 minutes per shot, she may have taken it to another hole <laugh>

Cirbie's outfit in the confessional showed off her cleavage a bit more than anyone else's.  Was this because she was leaving the show and wanted to leave an "impression"?  She's got some fans on GolfWRX - guys who think she's hot - someone compared her to Rosanne Barr.

She definitely has a lot of fans. You know, she's a really good girl and people may see her on the show and think she is an idiot, but she's a really nice girl who keeps in touch and has a positive attitude.  She's engaged to an unbelievable rock star - hard core metal type - and she's really liked in that circle.  Yea, she's a really good girl, but she just can't play golf - it's that simple.

Tina's first 3 putt where she flew it past the hole was shocking for someone with her experience.  Were the greens that tough?

A 15 foot 3 putt - that's adrenalin and "Oh my gosh, I don't want to be beat by someone who can't play golf."  You know, its so different than anyone could ever imagine out there.  There's so much pressure, so it was just nerves I think.  But yes, the greens were fast.

What did you think when you watched the "confessionals" of the other ladies?  Any surprises? 

I was happy to finally hear Susan and Liz say that they were here to win.  It's true.  Everyone is saying it in confessional and in interviews, but I was the only one saying right out there on the course.   I'm not going to say anything mean about anyone and I'm not going to do anything to hurt anyone, but I will admit thousands of times, "You're here to win and if you say you're not, you're lying." 

Thanks Christina!

Well, one down...ten more to go.  If I were to pick the next contestant to be eliminated, the obvious choice would be Susan who isn't really in the same league as the others.  But she's stayed out of elimination so far and maybe she'll be the lucky one again next week.  It wouldn't surprise me - actually nothing really would in this "Holy Moly" series.

-------------- to be continued next week ---------------------------

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Well well well...wasn't that an interesting episode of The Big Break Ka'anapali ... an elimination round without an elimination. 

Here we thought someone was going home and instead, everyone started sleeping together.  Yes, it was roommate madness in this episode with each of the ladies being assigned a new surprise roommate after the luxury of having their own rooms the first few days they were on Maui.

I would not have enjoyed bunking with a stranger, but I guess beggars can't be choosers, and so you had to hope for the best and get a roommate who didn't snore and didn't back stab you in the night to improve their position in the Big Break.

Then, on top of that, the competitors had to partner with their roomies in the "safety challenges" and hope that they wouldn't pull them down when they were fighting desperately to stay in the game.  Challengers became buddies, but for how long?

I asked Big Breaker, Christina Lecuyer, who's playing a Futures Tour event in Texas this week what it was like that day...

What was with that weather!?  That doesn't look like the Ka'anapali I came to know and love when I played there last year.

You know, that was probably our 5th day on the island and the weather was awful.  One day we sat in the hotel room the whole day because everything was just wiped out.  Even the roads were closed - the weather was that bad.

[Yikes...I've got 3 weeks booked this November in Maui.]

How did you enjoy your first elimination challenge?

Well, I probably hit two of the worse shots I've ever hit... well maybe not ever hit... but I'm definitely not proud of the two golf shots I hit on this show, but hopefully there is more to come.

In terms of roommates, you and Lori seemed to be okay with each other.

Absolutely, we were fine.  But Lori had a big problem with Dana in the beginning.  Lori and Dana weren't getting along.  I had no problem with Dana or Lori.  Frankly, I would have probably been happy with anyone (at that time).  [Golfgal aside...something tells me that later she might not have been so comfortable with "anyone"]

But if you were asked to choose a roommate, was there one person you would have chosen over the rest?
Hmmm...If I could have chosen a roommate, I probably would have chosen Sam.  She's the one I probably talked with the most during the first few days, but I was happy to be with Lori. 

Were there any "oil and water" pairings?
I kinda thought that Adrienne and Cirbie were a little bit different, but not in the end.

So what was all the fuss about the flag?

Well, for that part of the competition, it was a race.  And they said, "On your mark... get set... go!" And I took off.  The wind was really blowing and our flags were kind of blowing together and I grabbed both of them by mistake. But I gave one to Susan when I realized I had both of them.  Then, I ran and put our flag into the ground and I thought I had it.  I'm not going to apologize for going for it. I wasn't about to say, "Oh sure, go ahead." It was a race!

When it was over, I went over and said I was sorry I grabbed her flag and said, "Hey, I didn't mean to grab your flag, but that it is the way it happened." 

But that wasn't the end of it...

Well, when I said I didn't mean it and it was just what happened, Dana said something stupid, "Just because I didn't mean to hit it out of bounds doesn't mean I didn't hit it."  She was being a smart__s about it.  Whatever... 

Lori seemed more upset about the whole thing than you did.
Lori got pretty mad about it, but it really wasn't that big of a deal.  I tried to blow it off. I think she was more upset about Dana's comment.

Do you think she hit it fat because she was upset?
They didn't show it on the air, but we had a really crappy lie [remember, Lori and Christina were at 115 yards when they were forced to give up their spot to Susan and Dana].  It was an area that wasn't really mowed down properly and it was really wet.  It just happened.

Given how competitive you are, how did you feel relying on another player to keep you out of elimination?  Watching it, it reminded me of Solheim or Ryder Cup matches.

As you can tell in this show it really helped me. In this show, it worked in my advantage.  If I was Courtney I wouldn't have been very happy. But, you know, things happen and you can't really do anything about it.  It could have been the other way around, but I'm happy that in this case she helped me.

Did you like the final elimination challenge being non-competitive?

It was okay, but as Liz who said, "This is a game and I want to see as many people as possible go home that is not me." 

Even though I didn't say it, I have to be honest...I was hoping that they'd both go home. It's a competition and the more people that get kicked out that isn't you, the better chance you've got.  So I was kinda of with Liz, to be honest.  After all, it is a game show.

Do you think that The Golf Channel are portraying the women objectively? Some of the ladies (Lori, in particular) are getting pretty beat up in the golf forums.

I don't know....I think everything will work out in the end.  Right now, I think they are using comments that will get people talking and I guess there are talking...right? :)

Yes, they are talking...

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Well, next week will be interesting.  Will someone finally go home???  I'm not normally a nasty person, but I'd like to see the group dwindle down to the best players and start to watch some serious golf.

In closing I wanted to share a picture of the final elimination round hole, the 9th on the Kai course.  I played the Ka'anapali Kai last October, just a few weeks before these ladies and I broke 90 for the first time in my life and shot an 88 - woohoo!  But to be honest, it really was more of an executive course, but hey...88 is 88!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a really pretty picture of that closing hole on BB Ka'anapali, episode 2 and reminisce about my best round in paradise...

As Christina said to me...it is an absolutely beautiful hole, whether you win or lose...

Until next week...
Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

After waiting for weeks for this show to air, I am happy to say it finally arrived.  The Big Break Ka'anapali kicked off tonight on The Golf Channel and I was glued to the set.

I've been posting about it for a while now, so you might want to check back with some early sneak peeks into the show and one of its stars.

Meet the unforgettable Big Breaker Christina Lecuyer

Count down to Big Break Ka'anapali - more from Christina Lecuyer

It was so great watching the show knowing that I'd have a post show commentary by Christina (I circled her in this picture). I kept wondering what she was thinking as she saw it for the first time.

I'm not sure if the show started with a bang or a whimper for me.  I was so anxious to see the golf, that the first 10 minutes of the show made me impatient.  I also thought the drama and catty side of the ladies was brought on a bit too quickly.  I wanted to like all the girls to start, but it was hard because the producers/editors/directors really left you with some first impressions that weren't good. I'm not sure that was fair to the ladies. 

Anyway, enough of what I thought, let's hear from the Big Breaker herself...

I caught up with Christina Lecuyer tonight in Lafayette Louisiana where she’s preparing for a Friday tournament and we had a short chat about her thoughts on the first episode…

What were your first impressions of the show, Christina?

It was hard to watch. <chuckle> I feel like such a dork sometimes. Obviously I’ll say this over and over again, but I’m so competitive and I don’t even know the cameras are there. I’m concentrating so hard on winning and the competition. I am just playing the best that I possibly can and so I’m really focused on that and not the cameras.

When I hear myself say, “Oh man, I hope she chokes”, I realize that it’s not great.  But it’s just the competition and that’s all it is to me.  I don’t mean anything personal by it; I don’t even know these girls.  But that was kind of hard to watch.

It surprised me to see you rip your clothes off to get into the water after our last conversation where you shared that you weren’t comfortable in a bikini in front of the cameras.

<laughing> Seeing myself in a bathing suit on national television -- that was really hard.  Knowing there are guys at my country club watching and my parents and all kinds of other people watching – that was very difficult for me.  But I didn’t think about it at the time; it was just me and the competition.

What was with that first competition – digging in the sand for a clue – guessing hula moves – driving like maniacs to get to the first set of tees – seemed kind of silly to me…

It was very Reality TV-like.  One of the associate producers is a huge fan of The Amazing Race and since it is one of the most popular reality TV shows, really well produced and has won a lot of awards, The Golf Channel wanted to try something new and that was their take on that.  I don’t think we’ll be seeing too much more of that.

What was the first tee shot like on the Big Break Ka'anapali?

Obviously I didn’t know if I had the right club in that 30 mph wind and I screamed at the ball “Get Up!”  Well, the adrenalin was pumping and I hit a hybrid and I flew the circle by quite a bit.  The second time I took one quick breath beforehand and tried not to kill it, and it ended up being great.

When you said “miss it miss it miss it”, do you remember saying that?

No, I really do not remember saying those things at all and it is so embarrassing watching it now.  At the same time, what I was saying is probably what the other girls were thinking.  I’m not going to take it back, but it’s not like I want to be mean to anyone - it’s a competition and I want to win!

Drama seemed to be starting already between the ladies and they just met. For example Lori closed off the show saying Dana is tough to get along with.  I didn’t see anything on the show to warrant that.  Did I miss something?

There was a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff they didn’t show tonight, but I think as the series goes on you’ll be able to see perhaps where that was coming from.

I was surprised at the obvious differences in talent out there as well.  Cerbie and Susan seemed a bit out of place with their inexperience.

I think that was all of our first impressions when we first went out there. I think that the bets going around after the first show, and everyone’s assumptions were, the first two people to be kicked off will be Cirbie and Susan, but you just never know…

Susan doesn’t seem to take things as seriously as others.  She ended the show saying she wanted to be in the elimination challenge because then she’d get to play more games and that she likes playing games.

When you first meet Susan she comes off as a little ditzy, just ho-humming around.  Who knows maybe it will change throughout the series. <silence>

We never got to see the elimination challenge.  That really disappointed me as it is often the most exciting part.

I think they are trying to put a different mix in this show and it has thrown a lot of people for bit of a loop.  I think it will become more "mainstream Big Break" going forward.

After the first day, who did you think was your toughest competitor? 

I didn’t pick one, but I definitely narrowed it down to a few girls who had a really good chance of going far.  You can obviously tell when you look at someone’s golf swing, when you look at someone’s demeanor, when you look at someone’s attitude, when you look at how nervous someone is, you can tell a few things and see who is ready to play or who’s not.

Girls that stuck out at the beginning that I didn’t think were going to go very far were Cirbie and Susan.  Girls that I thought were good competitors -- the 3 biggest ones in my mind were:

Adrienne – she was the only girl I’d every met prior to the show and I knew she had a lot of talent.

Lori – just because she was extremely driven and competitive.  She was there to win. And like she said on the show, she’ll run you over to get there.

Kim – she’s a great player.  You can tell by her talent level, she smokes the ball.  She hits the ball soooo far.  It’s intimidating, but then it’s not intimidating. Obviously she’s not on the LPGA and there is a reason for that.  I made it just as far as she has in golf, so it’s not like I can’t beat her, but she definitely smokes it.  I think Adrienne said she hits it like a guy and she’s right.

Any other comments about the first episode filming you want to end with here?

That first episode took almost 4 days to shoot.  That last scene where all four of us had to hit different shots from different locations…that took almost a full day of shooting.  We sat on some guy’s porch the whole day.  The weather was not cooperating with rain and thunder.  It was pouring so hard you couldn’t see two feet in front of your face.  It was eally tough.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, but it was a lot of work.

Thanks Christina...always a pleasure chatting with you. Same time next week?

Absolutely...see you next Tuesday, same time!

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Well, you got an inside opinion on day 1.  Looks like we'll have to wait another week to see who is eliminated.  We know it can't be Cerbie as she is safe.  I wonder if it will be Susan.  That would be my bet, but hey...in golf...all bets are off!

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of talking to Christina Lecuyer from Big Break Ka'anapali.  After our chat, I shared a bit of her life, some inside information about her experiences on the show and hints of what we can look forward to seeing starting next Tuesday when the show airs.

Here's part two of my very interesting interview with Christina…

If you could pick a fantasy foursome to play with, who would you pick (men or women, alive or dead).

One, no question, one would be my dad.  After that, it wouldn’t be about me, I would really want to choose people my dad would like to play with.  Those would be Moe  Norman and Ben Hogan.   I’d really like to play with them.

[Golfgal aside…in my interview with Christina, it was very evident that Christina’s dad is her hero. It was very touching to hear her talk about him. ]

If (when :)) you play in the Solheim Cup, who would you pick as your partner in team play? 

I like Annika and what she stands for and I like Lorena.  I like how Lorena gives back. I like how she competes. 

I also have a really good friend on the tour, Russy Gulyanamitta, that I like to play with. Remember that 60 ft putt at the SBS to finish second behind Annika?   Her work ethic is wonderful and she is such a kind person. She is one of my super good friends.

Would you play a PGA event if given a sponsor’s exemption?

I know that a lot of women probably won’t like this, and some will, but I feel that the PGA tour is for the guys and the LPGA is for the women.  I feel that if I played on a PGA tour event I’d be taking away a chance for a PGA Tour player to help his family.  I’d feel that I was taking the spot of a guy who has worked very hard for his career.

Every time Michelle Wie plays on the PGA Tour, she takes away a spot from a guy who’s worked very hard to be on that Tour to better himself and perhaps win that week.  For me…I belong on the ladies' professional tour and not on the men's professional tour. 

I read that one of your coaches said you needed to work on your mental strength a bit more. What did he mean by that?  What are you doing to work on that?

That was probably Jack.  You know…he’s right.  I work closely with Jack. He knows that I practice hard;  I work hard at it; I have the drive for it.  But I definitely get down too fast.  I get, “Oh gosh, I’m screwed now.”  I never give up, but at the same time, I think I give up a little bit mentally and I definitely need get to that place where it’s just “okay”. 

One of my good friends said, “Golf doesn't cause cancer.  No matter what happens, its just golf at the end of the day."  I think when you realize that it is just golf at the end of the day, you can get to that place where you realize it is “okay”.  You will wake up tomorrow morning, and you can do it again.

I shot 66 this week.  I shot 75, 76 and then 66 – a ten stroke difference.  And I wasn't going to even play this week.  I was so frustrated with my game.  I didn’t know what was going on.  But the last day I went out, said, “Don't care!”.  Even towards the end I said, “It doesn't matter”.   And I shot a 66.

Are you superstitious in golf? 

Not really…well, a little bit maybe.  I do mark my ball the same way. But, my boyfriend would say that I totally am - he calls me a dork <laugh> 

What advice would you give to women who feel “naked on the first tee”, especially when playing with men or good players?

You know, I've ever been intimidated by a guy…never felt naked on the first tee. But I guess for some people it is intimidating to play with better golfers.

I play practice rounds with lots of people all the time. Honestly, it may sound bad, but we really don't care what you shoot.  We are in our own element.  It's the same when we go to the gym.  People are into themselves.  We really aren't paying attention to you.  That's something for new golfers to remember – other people really don't care about what you are doing and really aren't paying attention.

What is your biggest pet peeve in golf?

[without hesitation…] Slow play.  It's the worse thing ever.

Do you like playing pro-ams – why/why not?

I play a lot of them.  Last year I played so many I said, “I'm on the charity tour”. <chuckle>

It's fun because you never know who you will be playing with - it could a potential sponsor.  The golf world is about marketing and how you market yourself.  You can’t do this without sponsors, but it's by far the hardest thing to do.  And.... if I end up not doing golf, I could meet a person I'm going to work with. 

It looks from the previews that you might be involved in some of the drama on the BB.

I think a lot of things that went a little weird in the show is because I am so competitive in golf.  I’m competitive in a lot of situations – any sport – any thing I can do competitively. Besides that I’m pretty laid back.  But on the show I definitely think that my competitive nature definitely comes through <laugh>.

Are you expecting any surprises?

It will be a definite surprise. We filmed soooo much.  We were there for 17 days. It was a lot of work. We were up around 5:30 every morning and sometimes didn't get to bed until midnight. And you're on a microphone pretty much all of those hours, except for maybe 2. 

You don't know what's happening every single day.  They don't tell you anything, and I'm a planner, so that was difficult for me.  So I kind of had to give that away and say, “Okay whatever happens, happens”.  There is so much that they taped and recorded; they could use just about anything.  It will all be a complete surprise to all of us. 

Imagine that it's 5 years from now…Golf For Women magazine is writing a story about you.  What would they say about you?

I'd love to win a major within 5 years.  Morgan Pressel did it, so it is possible.

I'm not sure 5 years from now I could be the world's number one player, but I definitely want to be a person on the radar - a person who people say about me what I just said about Lorena – that she’s a good person and she’s a great player and someone people look up to.  That's what I want them to say about me.

So now you know Christina a little bit better.  I can't wait to see her and all the other fiesty young ladies battle it out over the next dozen weeks or so.  I'll be back April 16th with commentary on the first espisode with Christina.  I hope you'll join us.

Golfgal