ORLANDO, Fla. (March 15, 2006) -- 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Becky Lucidi is no stranger to making big shots under pressure. And she nearly pulled off another big shot in crunch time, throwing an Elimination Challenge-scare into Ashley Prange Tuesday night before becoming the fifth contestant eliminated from The Big Break V: Hawaii.

A touring golf professional from Poway, Calif., Lucidi nearly forced a sudden-death playoff on the final shot of the show. Needing a near-perfect chip from the bunker on her final swing, Lucidi’s chip rolled to a stop just inches from the target, propelling a stunned Prange onto the next show, and sending Lucidi packing.

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. One golfer is eliminated from the series each week, with the last golfer standing awarded her “Big Break,” a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete with the best on the LPGA Tour. In addition to taking home The Big Break V: Hawaii title, the winner will leave with a prize package that includes an exemption to the 2006 Safeway Classic; a Bridgestone Golf equipment contract; $10,000 in cash and golf merchandise from Golfsmith; and a Chrysler Crossfire Roadster. The winner also will reap the benefits from a one-of-a-kind training package, which will include professional instruction from Golf Channel Troubleshooter Dean Reinmuth, fitness sessions with expert Katherine Roberts and mental coaching from Dr. Gio Valiente, as well as exemptions, entry fees and travel expenses for 12 FUTURES Tour events in 2006.

Tuesday’s Elimination Challenge tested the ladies’ skills at punching out of the bunker, as well as handling the curveballs Mother Nature threw at them. On a day that alternated between calm and windy, sunny and rainy, the ladies descended into the bunkers surrounding the green on the Palmer Course’s 17th hole. The competitors took two swings from each of three bunkers, aiming for a scoring grid surrounding the pin, where each shot could score 1, 2, 3 or 5 points, depending on how close the shot got to the pin. The player with the lowest cumulative total would be eliminated from the show.

The ladies had to tackle the toughest bunker first, where Julie Wells (Portland, Ore.) and Jeanne Cho (Orlando, Fla.) were the only competitors to dent the scoreboard, as Wells grabbed five points, followed by Cho’s two. All four remaining golfers failed to register a point from the first bunker. The second bunker saw most of the ladies start to find their strokes, as Kim Lewellen (Wake Forest, N.C.) picked up four points, Kristina Tucker (Pageland, S.C./Stockholm, Sweden) scored three and Prange picked up one. Lucidi’s struggles continued, as she was blanked for the second straight location, finding herself in danger of being eliminated.

Hitting first at the third location, Wells extended her Challenge-leading score to 11 points, earning her a pass onto the next show. Lewellen’s final-round five gave her nine points, which also put her on the next show, while Tucker and Cho played themselves into a tie with seven points apiece. With her fate in her own hands, Prange could only manage five points on her final two swings, clinching Tucker’s and Cho’s spots on the next show, but leaving herself in danger of being eliminated. The pressure shifted to Lucidi, who needed a six or better to stay alive; a six on her last two swings would force a sudden-death playoff; a seven or higher would send Prange packing. Lucidi’s first shot was good for one point, meaning she needed a near-perfect shot on her final swing to pick up the five points necessary to stay alive. Her final shot was online, but stopped just inches from the line, ending her Big Break run.

“I gave her a run for her money at the end, but it just wasn’t enough,” Lucidi explained.

Dana Lacey (Wilmington, Del./North Beach, Australia) was the big winner in the 7-11 Immunity Challenge, besting Tucker in a sudden-death playoff to earn immunity from elimination. In this challenge the ladies took aim at two circles surrounding the pin – an outer white circle, and a bonus inner ring, which encircled the pin at 7’, 11”. The ladies got up to three swings apiece from 105 and 115 yards, trying to land one shot inside the outer ring. Any shot that landed inside the inner ring qualified for the 7-11 Bonus prize – the contestant closest to the pin, inside the orange ring, would walk away $5,000 richer.

Lacey and Tucker wasted little time in pulling away from the rest of the field, each hitting the target on the first swing at both locations. Tucker blinked first in the sudden-death playoff, needing two shots to hit the target, while Lacey continued swinging the hot stick, winning the challenge on her first playoff swing. In the process, Lacey picked up her third Immunity Challenge victory, winning a brand-new Chrysler Crossfire Roadster. She wasn’t the only bonus prize winner, however, as Cho’s bank account got a $5,000 boost after her second shot from the 115 yard location stopped just 8 ½” from the hole.

Lacey’s Immunity Challenge victory over Tucker was a bit of revenge, as the two had already squared off earlier in the show, with Tucker stopping Lacey’s bid for a Mulligan Challenge victory. Had Lacey defeated Tucker in the Mulligan Challenge, Lacey would have won a $2,000 prize package from Golfsmith, which included a custom club fitting.

Looking to Next Week

With just six ladies remaining, the ladies come face-to-face with obstacles blocking their Big Break dreams. Course management and shot recovery will determine who goes on and who goes home, as six again try to avoid elimination on the next episode of The Big Break V: Hawaii, airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

For more information, contact The Golf Channel Public Relations Department, 407/345-4653