ORLANDO, Fla. (April 19, 2006) -- Becky Lucidi’s second chance at her Big Break was short-lived, as the Poway, Calif., native was eliminated for the second time Tuesday, setting up the “Final Four” field on The Big Break V: Hawaii.
Lucidi, who had earned a second shot at chasing her Big Break dream when she topped the field in a special play-back episode two weeks ago, was unable to survive Tuesday’s test of distance control, totaling the fewest cumulative points in the final challenge.
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 would test the ladies’ abilities to control distance shots, as the players took three swings from each of three locations, trying to hit a scoring grid where successful shots were worth 1, 2, 3 or 4 points apiece. The player leading outright after the first two locations would automatically earn a spot on the next show, while the player with the fewest total points after all three locations would be eliminated.
The first location placed the ladies 69 yards from the hole, with the ball sitting in a waste area. Ashley Prange (Noblesville, In.) hit first, and was able to reach the green on all three shots, scoring six points. Lucidi’s Elimination Challenge problems started early, as she scored on just one of her three swings, gathering four points for the round. Kim Lewellen (Wake Forest, N.C.) had the most consistent round from the first location, picking up three points apiece on each swing, giving her a round-leading nine. Jeanne Cho (Orlando, Fla.) closed out the first round in last place after picking up just three points.
The second shot was 126 yards from the pin, featuring a downhill lie and the ball resting above the players’ feet. Lewellen led off the round and picked up right where she left off, grabbing nine more points for a two-round 18. When Prange’s opening shot was good for three points, Lewellen clinched the two-round outright lead, propelling her onto the next show. Prange closed out her second round with seven, giving her 13 overall, while Lucidi missed a chance to expand on her slim lead over Cho, and could manage only seven points, giving her 11 overall. Cho found her swing in the second round, grabbing 12 points, giving her 15 overall.
The final shot was from 129 yards out, and again the ladies would hit a ball sitting above their feet. Cho, the new leader after Lewellen earned immunity, managed just five points, giving her a three-round total of 20. Prange hit second, needing eight points to advance to the next episode, and she responded with exactly that, giving her 21 overall. That put the focus squarely on Lucidi – if the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion could pick up 10 points on her final three swings, she would assure herself a spot in the Final Four and eliminate Cho. Her first swing was good for two points, but the second shot sealed her fate, missing the green completely. The miss meant the golf touring professional would make the long walk back to the clubhouse for the second time in her Big Break tenure.
Julie Wells (Portland, Ore.) earned the right to sit out the Elimination Challenge after her dominating play in the Chrysler Immunity Challenge. The ladies got to play B-R-E-A-K, the Big Break’s version of the popular pickup basketball game, in which each player selects a shot, and the other players must match her effort to avoid being assigned letters that form the word “BREAK”. The player closest to the pin at each shot would avoid earning any letters, and could assign a bonus letter to any player of her choosing. As players accumulate enough letters to spell out the word “BREAK,” they are eliminated from the challenge and forced to compete in the Elimination Challenge, while the last player standing earned immunity from elimination.
Wells’ chose a flop shot over the bunker to open the competition, and promptly dropped her shot 10 ½” from the hole. When none of the other ladies could beat that distance, they all earned the letter “B,” and Wells quickly assigned the bonus letter to Prange. The second shot, a 68-yard fairway shot chosen by Lewellen, yielded the exact same results, as Wells captured the hole and again assigned the bonus letter to Prange, giving her “BREA” after just two holes.
Prange couldn’t stop Wells’ onslaught with her own shot selection, as Wells dominated the chip from inside the greenside bunker, dropping her shot 1’, 8” from the pin. The win awarded another letter to each player, giving Prange “BREAK” and sending her to the Elimination Challenge, so Wells assigned the additional letter to Cho, giving her “BREA.” Lewellen and Lucidi each had “BRE” while Wells still had no letters.
Lucidi finally managed to slow Wells down, as Lucidi managed to win in her own selection, a 96-yard fairway shot. Her win sent Cho to the Elimination Challenge; pushed Lewellen (BREA) to the brink; and gave Wells her first two letters (B and the bonus letter). Wells slammed the door shut with the next shot, as she dropped her flop shot over the greenside bunker 1’, 7” from the pin, sending Lewellen and Lucidi to the Elimination Challenge.
Lewellen started swinging the hot club in the Mulligan Challenge, where the ladies had to hit flop shots over a wall at a scoring grid on the green. Lewellen picked up five points on each of her first two swings – the highest score possible – and closed out the three-round challenge after just two rounds, picking up a Mulligan to use in the Immunity Challenge, as well as grabbing a $5,000 prize package from Golfsmith.
Looking to Next Week
The Final Four field is set, and the ladies will square off head-to-head in match play to determine who makes the top three. The Big Break V: Hawaii Championship Match is just around the corner, but the ladies will have to survive another Elimination Challenge if they want to continue toward the final show. In the end, one more contestant will be sent home, short of her Big Break dreams, in the next episode of The Big Break V: Hawaii, airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
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