'Big Break Indian Wells' to premiere May 16
By GolfChannel.com Team
Posted: April 18, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. – It will be winner take all as 11 professionals put their golf skills, and money, on the line when Golf Channel’s “Big Break” 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 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 series 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.

Hernan “Piri” Borja (25, Coral Springs, Fla.) – Son of the 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.

David Byrne (23, Essex, Ontario, Canada / Orlando, Fla.) – The youngest competitor on the show, he recently graduated from the University of Detroit-Mercy where he was 2010 Horizon League Player of the Year.

Kent Eger (30, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada / Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Eger is currently competing on the Canadian and Gateway Tours, recording victories on both circuits in 2010. Eger 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, Floyd is the son of Raymond Floyd. Robert has competed in more than 30 PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour events over the past the past 15 years.

Oren Geri (37, Tel Aviv 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.

John Lepak (30, La Habra Heights, Calif.) – Lepak 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 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. 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) – 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, Salisbury, Md.) – A nationally recognized track star from Jamaica, Whyte turned professional in2010 and 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.
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I saw the trailer for this and it looks to be pretty high testosterone. One guy threatens to kick another guys ass. This genre just seems to keep disintergrating in my opinion. i havent watched much of the last 3 or 4. But coming to blows on a golf course doesn"t interest me too much. im sure ill watch the first couple. and see if it worth it or not.

Gary

Thanks for the post, I was starting to wonder if their was going to be another installment of the show. Too bad they don't have Gary Nicklaus, I think he would have been a perfect fit.

Won't watch it.......this "in your face" bullshit is nauseous. The whores at Golf Channel keep pushing this nonsense and making these attitudes "cool" on a golf course. More and more loud and obnoxious twenty and thirty year olds bringing this kind of thing to the course. Hard to believe the commercials for this thing. One guy thumbing through a wad of cash and some dreadlock guy stomping around like a moron. Bad for golf. Too many younger guys acting like moronic gang members already. Don't bring that stuff to the game of golf. The Golf Channel should be ashamed of this kind of dreck.

They take 15 minutes of action at make an hour show out of it. Worse than Discovery

I have to disagree, the last installment was by far the best they had. It was very interesting and the challenges had much more actual golf played. If you did not watch the last installment, you should give it a try again. IMO

At least I've seen this place, hope they get it done before it gets a little warmer there.

Interesting first episode. The players were all given $5000 to start. Every challenge they can either win or lose money from each other or win and lose money to the BB pot, depending on the challenge.

They still have stupid players on the show. They had a driving challenge (distance combined with how close to the vertical center line in the fairway. Dumb guy has a choice between two players to play against in this challenge. One guy is about 145 pounds, the other guy competes on the Remax long drive competitions. The dumb guy picks the long drive dude to go up against. (WTF!!!!! Are you stupid?) The long drive dude goes first, he tones it down a bit to make sure he gets it in the fairway. He hits it dead straight, but still hits it about 325. The dumb guy knows he is screwed and pulls his shot far left and out of play. Dumb guy goes to the elimination challenge and loses. LOL

First promo falsehood. Said it would be their "own" money. I would just tkae the $5k and split;-)