ORLANDO, Fla. (Mar. 22, 2006) -- Kristina Tucker saw The Big Break V as an opportunity to further her golf career, and in the process, improve her game by playing under pressure. Tuesday night the pressure finally got to her, as a pair of bad shots in the Elimination Challenge resulted in Tucker becoming the sixth contestant eliminated from The Big Break V: Hawaii.
A golf touring professional from Stockholm, Sweden, who now resides in Pageland, S.C., Tucker failed to take advantage of Dana Lacey’s miscue in the second round of the Elimination Challenge. Nursing a one-stroke lead, Lacey’s first swing found the water, opening the door for Tucker to pull even, but her shot fell short, ricocheting off a rock and dropping in the water. Three strokes later a teary-eyed Tucker was saying her goodbyes and heading off to pack her bags.
“Of course I wanted to win, but I also wanted really to practice under pressure, and I definitely got to hit a lot of shots under pressure,” Tucker said. “I learned so much about myself.”
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.
The Elimination Challenge placed the five contestants in a pair of trouble spots – the first, a fairway shot 72 yards from the hole, with a tree standing between the ladies and the green; the second, the ladies took aim at the green from 172 yards out, and forced to either carry the shot over the water hazard or lay up and take the safe shot along the left side of the hazard. The players would play out the hole from each location, and the player with the highest cumulative score eliminated from the show. As a bonus, the outright leader after the first location would earn immunity from elimination and get to sit out the second round.
Jeanne Cho (Orlando, Fla.) and Julie Wells (Portland, Ore.) were the first two to hit at the first location, and each carried their initial shot over the tree and onto the green with no difficulty. Hitting third, Tucker’s ball didn’t clear the tree, and she could only watch as her shot rolled to a stop in the greenside bunker. Kim Lewellen (Wake Forest, N.C.) and Lacey (Wilmington, Del./North Beach, Australia) followed by both clearing the tree, putting every competitor on the green – except for Tucker, who was stuck in the sand.
All four of the other players managed to two-putt the hole, meaning Tucker needed to punch out of the sand and sink her next shot to keep pace. She was able to punch out of the sand and onto the green, but missed her first putt, forcing her to two-putt the hole, putting her one stroke behind the field going into the final round.
Cho hit first, and played it safe by avoiding the water altogether and driving along the left side of the fairway. Wells followed by carrying the water but hitting it long, finding the bunker behind the green, prompting Lewellen to follow Cho along the left side. Lacey decided to play the hole aggressively, but her shot dropped in the water, setting up Tucker’s last gasp at staying alive. Tucker’s shot rocketed off the rocks and back into the water, effectively sealing her fate.
The Immunity Challenge tested the ladies’ accuracy off the tee and course management skills, as each player hit three shots from the tee to a designated target area on the fairway. Each ball that landed in the target area could be hit toward a scoring grid on the green, and the player with the most cumulative points would win immunity from the Elimination Challenge. Cho, Ashley Prange (Noblesville, In.) and Wells each put three shots in the target area, but Prange grabbed immunity by picking up four points on the green, edging out Tucker, Lacey and Wells, who had three points apiece.
Tucker didn’t walk away from the show empty-handed, however. The Mulligan Challenge, which featured a return of the “Big Red Wall” obstacle, offered the winner a two-part prize – a Mulligan to be used in the Immunity Challenge, and a $3,000 prize package from Golfsmith. The three-round challenge allowed each contestant to take one shot per round through the doorway of the obstacle at a scoring grid on the green. To make things interesting, the doorway was narrowed after each round, and the player with the most points after all three shots would win the challenge. Tucker picked up the victory with a three-point shot on her final swing, capturing the Mulligan and the $3,000 prize package from Golfsmith, which included custom equipment and a yearlong supply of golf balls.
Looking to Next Week
The ladies get a chance to spend some fun in the sun, striking a pose on the pristine Hawaiian beaches before an announcement changes the face of the competition. The show also will take a look at where the ladies started in a special Wednesday night episode of The Big Break V: Hawaii, airing Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
