The Big Break LPGA Fangrrrl Report

Nth in a series of "where are they now?" posts about my favorite women golfers from The Golf Channel's reality series The Big Break.

Name                            Season  As of 2008...
Danielle Amiée                  III     Last played FUTURES 2004
Rachel Bailey                   VI      FUTURES-E
Felicia Brown                   III     Last played FUTURES 2000
Tasha Browner                   III     Last played FUTURES 2005
Jeanne Cho-Hunicke              V       LPGA-C, FUTURES-E
Debbie Dahmer                   III     Pacific Ladies Tour founder
Divina Delasin                  V
Nikki DiSanto                   V-VII
Jan Dowling                     III     Last played FUTURES 2005; Women's Golf Assistant Coach, Kent State University
Jo D Duncan                     V       Director of Golf Instruction, Norwood Hills Country Club
Bridget Dwyer                   VI      FUTURES-E, Cactus, Pacific
Pamela (Crikelair) Garrity      III-VII Last played FUTURES 2006; Real estate agent in Florida
Ashley Gomes                    VI-VII  FUTURES-C, Pacific
Dana Lacey                      V       FUTURES-E
Kim Lewellen                    V-VII   Last played FUTURES 2006; Women's Golf Coach, University of Virginia
Laura London                    VI-VII  Cactus
Becky Lucidi                    V       LPGA-E (Q-School)
Annie Mallory                   VI      Cactus
Kristy McPherson                VI      LPGA-C
Cindy Miller                    III-VII Last played FUTURES 2006
Valeria Ochoa                   III-VII Last played FUTURES 2005
Ashley Prange                   V       FUTURES-E
Katie Ruhe                      V       Last played FUTURES 2006
Sarah Lynn (Johnston) Sargent   VI      LPGA-C, FUTURES-E
Sarah Sasse-Kildow              III     Last played FUTURES 2006
Kristina Tucker                 V       FUTURES-E
Liz Uthoff                      III     Last played FUTURES 2004
Karen Stordahl-Utrecht          VI
Briana Vega                     VI-VII  FUTURES-E
Julie Wells                     V       Last played FUTURES 2007

Season IX, Kāʻanapali, starts April 15!

Lori Atsedes                    IX      FUTURES-E
Dana Bates                      IX
Susan Choi                      IX      FUTURES-C
Courtney Erdman                 IX      FUTURES-E
Adrianne Gautreaux              IX      Last played FUTURES 2007
Samantha Head                   IX      FUTURES-C
Christina LeCuyer               IX      FUTURES-C
Tina Miller                     IX      Last played FUTURES 2007
Sophie Sandolo                  IX
Cirbie Sheppard                 IX
Elizabeth Stuart                IX      FUTURES-C
Kim Welch                       IX      FUTURES-E

Women's Big Break/LPGA update

I'm relatively new to the world of spectating women's professional golf, so I have no idea whether this is how things usually go. It just seems like LPGA rookies shouldn't miss cuts on the FUTURES Tour.

Ashley Prange: T45, T32
Kristina Tucker: MC, T32

Maybe they're just not focusing on FUTURES events in their training/planning?? Jeanne Cho and Becky Lucidi haven't even competed on the FUTURES yet this season.

At least one former BB contestant is doing pretty well for herself:

Rachel Bailey: T20, T6 (#12 on money list)

Other BBers, so far:

Dana Lacey: T33, T9 (#17, not bad)
Ashley Gomes: MC, T43
Briana Vega: T45, MC
Bridget Dwyer: MC, T50

I had an epiphone about the utility of game shows like The Big Break, based on stuff they've mentioned in passing about some of the contestants on the show(s). In my prior post, I said there were perfectly good "legitimate" routes to the LPGA—the developmental tour and Q School—and while that's true, the problem is they're potentially very expensive. At least a couple of BBers have tried their luck at the game show because they couldn't afford to go pro.

And, it may yet turn out that the developmental tour entry fees in the prize package are a better career boost than the one-time exemptions.

Bri fought the cut, and the cut won

The second round of the 2007 SBS Open at Turtle Bay drew to a close on Friday with Big Break VI champion Briana Vega in sole possession of last place with a 17-over-par 161. She'll have another go in October at the Longs Drugs Challenge, plus all those tournaments on the FUTURES Tour, plus whatever she wins on Big Break VII.

Ashley Prange, of course, missed the cut in her lone Big Break V exemption, the 2006 Safeway Classic (+10 154), and Danielle Amiee famously withdrew from her second exemption, the 2005 Corning Classic, after posting a +14 156 at the 2005 Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill. (Oh yeah, and the alleged Playboy thing. Those sure looked like her head covers. Ahem!)

ig·no·min·i·ous
Pronunciation: "ig-n&-'mi-nE-&s
Function: adjective
1 : marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : DISHONORABLE

I've been trying to track down the performances of all the other Big Break winners in their respective exemptions, and that they're so elusive says whatever we need to know. Easy to find the promotional run-up articles, nearly impossible to find the final scores.

OK, granted, I'm a total golf novice, so what do I know, but it seems to me like The Big Break's challenges span every imaginable type of golf shot, a wide range of improbable golf situations, course management, endurance, and psychological pressure. Yes, there's dumb superficial reality show drama, but with very few exceptions one's fate rests with one's ability to make golf shots. I wonder what it is that fails to translate into tournament success?

I guess the main observation is the damning one. Q School and the developmental tours offer pretty straightforward paths to earning status on a major tour, and if these contestants could cut it on those paths, they wouldn't need The Big Break.

Indeed, Kristy McPherson and Sarah Lynn Sargent each earned their 2007 exempt status the old-fashioned way (FUTURES Tour money list and Q School, respectively), and both of them trounced Bri Vega at the SBS even after she "bested" them on BBVI.

Oh well. I'm still gonna watch VII. :)

Women's Big Break/LPGA Q School final report

Final standings of Big Break contestants competing at LPGA Q School 2006:

Top 15, earning exempt status:

T10 Sarah Lynn Johnson  BB6  T16  72-73-72-71-70  358  -2

Next 35 and ties, earning non-exempt (conditional) status:

 1  Jeanne Cho          BBV  T19  71-72-72-74-71  360   E
27  Kristina Tucker     BBV  T50  73-76-71-73-73  366  +6
36  Becky Lucidi        BBV  T50  77-77-67-72-75  368  +8
37  Ashley Prange       BBV  T50  69-76-73-75-75  368  +8

Failed to advance to final round:

Ashley Gomes            BB6  CUT  78-76-76-75     305  +17

Also, Big Breakers who failed to advance at Florida Sectional Q School:

Julie Wells             BBV  CUT  80-74           154  +10
Bridget Dwyer           BB6  CUT  76-79           155  +11
Dana Lacey              BBV  CUT  80-76           156  +12
Annie Mallory           BB6   DQ  86               86  +14

Nota bene: Kristy McPherson, BB6, already qualified for 2006 exempt status as one of the top 5 finishers on the FUTURES Tour money list.

Women's Big Break/LPGA Q School report

Sort of a "where are they now?" thing.

Big Break contestants competing in LPGA Q School 2006, after 4 rounds:

Sarah Lynn Johnson  BB6  T16  72-73-72-71  288    E
Jeanne Cho          BBV  T19  71-72-72-74  289   +1
Becky Lucidi        BBV  T50  77-77-67-72  293   +5
Kristina Tucker     BBV  T50  73-76-71-73  293   +5
Ashley Prange       BBV  T50  69-76-73-75  293   +5
Ashley Gomes        BB6  CUT  78-76-76-75  305  +17

Final round tomorrow! Exempt cards for the top 15 finishers, non-exempt status for the next 35.

Also, Big Breakers who failed to advance at Florida Sectional Q School:

Julie Wells         BBV  CUT  80-74        154  +10
Bridget Dwyer       BB6  CUT  76-79        155  +11
Dana Lacey          BBV  CUT  80-76        156  +12
Annie Mallory       BB6   DQ  86            86  +14

Nota bene: Kristy McPherson, BB6, already qualified for 2006 exempt status as one of the top 5 finishers on the FUTURES Tour money list.

Several other BB competitors have retired from competition, but I'm not sure what's happened to all of them. So far none have earned status on the LPGA. No one from BBIII is represented on the FUTURES Tour 2006 Money List at all and none played in any of the Q School tournaments this year.