ORLANDO, Fla. (May 3, 2006) -- With a chance to close out the match and clinch a spot in next week’s championship match, Jeanne Cho didn’t flinch, sinking a birdie putt to eliminate Julie Wells from Tuesday’s episode of The Big Break V: Hawaii.

Wells (Portland, Ore.) struggled to get on track throughout the windy Elimination Challenge, while Cho methodically built her lead in the three-hole match, which culminated with Cho’s clutch putt to send Wells home.

The victory propelled the Orlando, Fla. golf professional into the next week’s championship match against Ashley Prange (Noblesville, In.), who had earned her spot in the finals by virtue of her Chrysler Immunity Challenge victory earlier in the show.

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 Cho and Wells on the tee box of the par-4 first hole of the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort. The ladies would square off in three holes of match play, using a modified Stableford scoring system to determine the winner. For each par, players would earn one point; a birdie was good for three points and an eagle was worth five points. A bogey effort would cost the player one point, while a double-bogey was worth minus-three points. After three holes, the player with the fewest points would be eliminated, while the winner would advance to the championship match.

The first hole saw Cho grab an early advantage when she stuck her approach shot less than five feet from the pin, setting up a short birdie attempt. Her birdie putt lipped out, but she saved par on her next attempt. Wells’ approach ran long, setting up a chip from the fringe which also ran by the hole. Her attempt to save par missed, as she pushed her putt wide of the hole and was forced to tap in for a 1-over five. After one hole, Cho led with one point, while Wells was at -1.

Hole two again saw Cho stick a shot close to the pin, as her third shot on the par-4, 330-yard landed one foot from the cup. She tapped in for her second straight par, while Wells’ short game continued to cause her problems, and she again pushed a par-attempt wide of the cup. Cho (two points) opened a four-point lead over Wells (-2) after two holes.

Wells entered the par-5, 433-yard final hole needing an eagle of her own, combined with some help from Cho to stay in the game. Cho, however, wasted little time trying to close out the match, dropping her third shot on the green, where she could two-putt to victory. She promptly sank her birdie attempt, closing out the match and clinching a spot in the final match against Prange.

The Chrysler Immunity Challenge was a two-part competition that first tested the ladies driving distance and accuracy in the first round, and then followed with a putting competition. The driving contest gave each player four swings from the tee at a scoring grid on the fairway. The object was to drive each shot as far as possible while staying as close as possible to the scoring grid. Shots that missed the grid would be scored as overall distance minus distance from the grid, while shots landing in the grid would earn 25 bonus yards. The player with the lowest cumulative yardage would be relegated to compete in the Elimination Challenge, while the two leaders would move onto the putting portion of the Immunity Challenge.

The shortest-distance hitter of the group, Wells led off and struggled with the wind, accumulating 835 yards on her four swings. Prange hit second, and didn’t disappoint, as the big hitter racked up 964 yards, including dropping her final two shots in the grid, assuring herself a spot in the second half of the challenge. Cho closed out the round with four solid swings that pushed her total past Wells’, sending Wells to the elimination round and propelling herself into the second round of the challenge.

A putting challenge awaited Prange and Cho in the second round of the Immunity Challenge, as each player would finish the hole from each of four locations on the green. The player with the lowest cumulative score after four holes would earn immunity and a berth into the championship match, while the player with the highest score would head to the Elimination Challenge to face Wells. Through the first four locations, the ladies matched one another stroke-for-stroke, finishing in an 8-8 deadlock. The pair headed to a sudden-death playoff, where they continued matching one another through the first two playoff holes. Prange finally broke the deadlock, dropping her first putt at the third playoff location after Cho needed two strokes at the same spot. The win clinched a spot in the championship for Prange, while forcing Cho to face one final Elimination Challenge.

Looking to Next Week

The Immunity and Mulligan Challenges are done. The field has been paired to two, with Ashley and Jeanne squaring off head-to-head, and this time it’s for all the marbles. One final contestant will fall short of her goal, while the other will reach the pinnacle of The Big Break V: Hawaii, capturing The Big Break title, as well as an impressive 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. It all happens in the season finale of The Big Break V: Hawaii, airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, only on The Golf Channel.

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