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My Big Break Experience - The Finale
The finale of the Big Break Disney Golf aired a couple weeks ago with finalists Kevin Erdmann, Tony Finau and Mike Perez.
As you saw, all the guys were still there to watch the final contest. We never really left after being eliminated. We just enjoyed a great Disney vacation on The Golf Channel until that final day.
We were all miked up, so that the producers could have some outside commentary from the guys. I was a little surprised in how little they used us and included us in the show. It was almost like we really weren't there. But, of course, this episode wasn't about us...it was about who would win The Big Break Disney Golf.
From what I heard from the fans that approach me, I think almost everyone was surprised at who was in the finale -- with the exception of Tony. Let's face it, the two guys that seemed to be up for elimination the most were Kevin and Mike. But each time they were just good enough to make it through to the next show.
That's really what this show was all about. It wasn't necessarily one the discovers the guy with the best raw skills and talent...because competitive golf is more than that. Its also about how well you manage your game on the course and how well you handle pressure. Handling pressure is the key in this show. In many of the contests, what you would see on the show more than anything was how guys handled the pressure. Guys like Blake, Mike and Kevin didn't seem to handle it as well as the others, and that's why they were always in elimination challenges.
What you also see is that no matter what the skill level, there's always a little bit of luck involved because in the end, the game can come down to fractions of an inch. And in this contest, since you never a really warmed up and you're not playing a regular round of golf, good timing also helps.
In the end, being able to play a full 18-hole contest is what helped Mike the most. He was one of the more talented guys out there, but you just never really saw it in the other challenges. After Tony showed he is one of the best by taking a commanding lead after 9-holes, Mike used his emotions and passion to fire himself up and pull himself back into contention with some great approaches and putts. Each time Mike clawed his way a little closer to Tony, there was a little extra pressure for Tony to deal with and as a result Tony might not have made the best decisions.
That's the beauty of match play....and even though they were scored on strokes, it was essentially a match. When Tony pulled out his driver on 17, he made a bad decision. Sure, he was hitting it well and its probably his favorite club...but he is extremely long off the tee, and on this hole it got him into too much trouble. With all that adrenaline pumping through his veins, he hit it too long ...the ball hit the cart path and took a tremendous bounce into the water. With the lead (and most likely the win) in his pocket, Tony made a bad decision and paid the ultimate price. Instead of the competitors having to step up to beat him...he beat himself and fell back to the pack, leaving the door wide open for Mike.
Remember what I said about luck? Throughout the match, Tony was missing some very makeable birdie putts, skirting the edge of the hole a couple times that could've given him an even bigger lead had they gone in...but they didn't. Mike, on the other hand, was sinking some bombs that most would've been happy with walking away with a 2-putt. Each time, that took a little wind out of Tony and ultimately kept Mike in the game. That's the fighter aspect of Mike. He kept saying "I don't have it," and at the beginning, he didn't. He just kept plugging away and pushing himself to player smarter and better. In the end, he came out on top.
So that was my Big Break experience. I came back home over the holidays and will now be heading back to Phoenix to work on my game and prepare to hit the tour circuit. I've laid out a 3-year plan to play the Gateway Tour, Canadian Tour, Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour. The bigger events will require a lot of Monday qualifying hopes since I do not have any current status on any the Nationwide or PGA Tour.
If you are interested in supporting my efforts, you can click here to read my Golf Investment Prospectus.
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