ORLANDO, Fla. -- Promoted as the comic who could hit the long ball, Robert Read’s (Seekonk, Mass.) elimination in the first episode of Big Break Prince Edward Island was no laughing matter.

Forced into the elimination challenge by a series of mistakes that included missing a three-foot putt and flubbing a bunker shot, Read’s ability to belt the tee ball did not save him against Eugene Smith (Glen Ridge, N.J.). The two contestants played the par-5 10th hole at Mill River Golf Club in Prince Edward Island, with the player making the highest score eliminated from the series. Both made par on the first tour of the hole, followed by Smith’s birdie to advance in the series.

“The biggest disappointment started with the first play of the day,” Read said about missing a short putt that sent him to the elimination challenge. “It was a series of disappointments, one after another. But I am not dead, and this will only make me stronger.”

The result was no surprise. One of the least experienced players – he never stepped foot on a golf course until the ninth grade - Read turned professional to play in the series and was considered a long shot to win the competition.

While predictable, the elimination still served as a reality check for the remaining 11 competitors.

“I came in with a pretty high confidence level in myself,” Derek Gillespie (Oshawa, Ontario) said after the first episode. “Today was tougher than I ever imagined.”

And Gillespie survived. Read wasn’t so fortunate, and now can be found playing money games at his local course, Crestwood Country Club in Rehoboth, Mass., where he shoots in the 60s and is chasing his dream of playing on the PGA TOUR.

In Big Break Prince Edward Island, contestants compete for $100,000 that can provide the winner a means to finance their dream of playing on a Tour for an entire year. The competition showcases six females and six males in a competition that test every phase of their games, course management and mental toughness. Each of the 12 contestants competes on equal ground with no consideration of gender when it comes to elimination. Big Break showcases highly skilled golfers pitted against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness, with the ultimate winner awarded his/her “Big Break.”

Past Big Break champions won tournament exemptions to compete on some of the world’s top professional circuits, such as the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Canadian Tour. Former Big Breakers Tommy Gainey and James Nitties, who tied for fourth in his third TOUR start at the FBR Open, will compete on the PGA TOUR in 2009 while four previous female contestants currently play on the LPGA Tour.

Adding insight to Big Break Prince Edward Island as co-hosts are former PGA TOUR professional Charlie Rymer and Golf Digest Senior Editor Stina Sternberg.

Shot at Mill River Golf Course in Prince Edward Island, it marks the first time a Canadian location has hosted Big Break. Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Canada’s east coast, Prince Edward Island boasts more than 32 courses that span from one end of the Island to the other. One of Canada’s top golf destinations, Prince Edward Island offers other recreational activities, including kayaking, cycling, touring, or lazing on a sandy beach.

The second episode of Big Break Prince Edward Island will air Monday at 9 p.m. EST.

For more information, please contact Mark Mitchell ( 407-355-4063/ mmitchell@golfchannel.com ) or GolfChannel.com/bigbreak