I didn’t get a chance to watch the first two seasons of The Golf Channel‘s Big Break series. I saw highlights of both seasons, but that was it. However, I did watch Big Break III earlier this year. It wasn’t something I thought I would watch, but I ended up watching it religiously. Last season’s Big Break had a lot of drama, and many people really got into the show. The Sand Trap forum was full of posts discussing Danielle Aimee’s attitude and anatomy, among other things.
That brings me to this season’s Big Break. The contestants are playing overseas at Carnoustie. This season marks the first time the golf is being played overseas. The contestants are also paired into two teams, one representing the United States and the other representing Europe. The Ryder Cup is a huge event in golf, and the producers wanted to capture a little of the rivalry in the show.
As the show stands now, there are four Europeans and two Americans left on the show. The finals will be comprised of One European and one American playing match-play to decide the winner of Big Break IV. The winner gets to play in the Celtic Manor Wales Open next season and receives a sponsorship deal with Bridgestone. That sounds like a hell of a prize to me.
This brings me to one of my main questions this week. Is this season’s Big Break IV any good, or is it failing to meet viewer’s expectations? Everyone at The Sand Trap forum thinks this season pretty much sucks compared to past seasons of the show. I can’t compare this season to the first two seasons because I didn’t see them, but I can compare it to last season.
As I mentioned above, everyone seemed to love last season’s Big Break, including myself. The constant drama between Danielle and the rest of the ladies kept it interesting, and there was some good golf played along the way as well. Everyone thinks this current season is missing something, but I think it’s just as good as last year’s version. I actually like it more this time around, and I look forward to watching every week. I’ll give some positives and negatives and then predict who will get their “Big Break” this season.
Positives
My first positive very well could be a lot of people’s negative. The team competition aspect of things really makes it fun to watch. The Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup are three of my favorite events in golf, and I enjoy watching the Big Break contestants play as a team as well. It also changes things up a bit. A little change never hurts, and that is definitely true this season.
The first three seasons were all contested the same for the most part. There wasn’t any team camaraderie whatsoever. That was fine, but the team aspect adds more emotion. The contestants on the United States seem really close on the show, even though there are only two of them left. I don’t remember seeing a lot of crying last season. After Randall was eliminated last week, the United States team cried like babies. That’s not a bad thing. I might have even shed a tear or two.
The competition is being held at Carnoustie, which is also a huge change from past seasons. One episode even took place at St. Andrews, and that course needs no introduction. The courses are much different than in the past, and I really enjoy that aspect. The shot-making is much different overseas, and it’s a very nice change of pace. Some Americans may not get into the show as much because the action is overseas, but that’s crazy. I would give my right arm to play at Carnoustie or St. Andrews. That’s the home of golf for crying out loud. How can that be a negative?
The final positive deals with the winner’s prize. This makes it a lot more interesting as well. The winner actually gets to play with the big boys. The prizes for the first two seasons were exemptions to Canadian Tour events and Nationwide Tour events, respectively. That’s nothing compared to the European Tour. These men are playing for a great prize, and that adds to the intensity each week.
On a side note, the Big Break IV “All Access” show is also very good. I haven’t watched it every week, but I try to catch it when I’m home. It goes behind the scenes of each episode and really shows the true emotion these players are going through on a day-to-day basis. If you miss the regular show for some reason, try to catch the all-access show. Some people at The Sand Trap forum say the all-access show is better than the actual show, but I won’t go quite that far.
Negatives
I’m not sure if it’s the course conditions, pressure, or just sheer lack of talent, but some of the contestants have looked pretty silly on the golf course at times. I think most members here at The Sand Trap (excluding me and Jeff of course) could whip these guys into shape. The pressure has to be pretty tough to deal with, but I’ve seen Marty all-out shank the ball three times. Guy shanked one pretty bad as well, but Marty’s were way out of line. I’ve had the shanks before, but I’m a 12-handicapper and nowhere near the caliber that should be on a reality show trying to find Tour-caliber golfers.
The team format has reduced the number of shots we’ve seen hit as well. If Europe is exempt, at least half of the golfers are immune from the Elimination Challenge. That reduces the number of golf shots we get to see and, consequently, further detaches the viewer from understanding and ultimately rooting for one golfer or another.
I can’t compare it to the first two seasons, but it does seem like there are less shots by individuals due to the team format. I can’t really fault anyone for having this opinion, but if I agree, I would be acting hypocritical. It’s one of those things you just have to deal with in a team competition. There is plenty of golf being played each week, and I’m happy with the outcome so far. For the sake of argument, however, I’ll leave this in the negatives section.
Predictions
On the United States side, it will either come down to TJ or Paul in the finals. TJ is very fiery, kind of comparable to Chris DiMarco. He don’t always hit the prettiest shots, but he is gritty enough to minimize his mistakes and finish strong. Paul, on the other hand, it the captain for the United States side and is calm as can be. There aren’t any spectacular parts of his game, but there aren’t any parts lacking either.
When it comes down to it, there is no way TJ can get past Paul this season. TJ gets down on himself very easily and is his own worst enemy at times. Paul will wear TJ down when the time comes and move onto the finals. Who will Paul be facing in the finals?
The European side still has four representatives: Thomas, Marty, Guy, and Warren. Thomas seems to get on everyone’s nerves, but he is very solid in all parts of his game. Like TJ, Marty is his own worst enemy more often than not. Marty is my favorite Team Europe member, but he won’t make it past the next two episodes.
Guy is scrappy, but he isn’t as talented as Thomas or Warren. Guy and Marty will battle it out next episode, but Guy will come up short. He couldn’t be a better guy though. All the guys have been very respectful to each other. Warren is the captain for the European team and is starting to show his overall golf game. He started off slow, but he will be tough to beat down the stretch.
Next, we’ll say goodbye to Marty. That will leave Thomas and Warren to battle it out for a spot in the finals. Thomas hasn’t really dominated any part of the show, but his best golf has yet to be shown. He will outplay Warren when it gets down to crunch time and will play Paul in the match-play finals.
As for the finals, I could be showing some U.S. bias, but I’m picking Paul to win it all. I just don’t see him ever getting down on himself. He is the best overall golfer on the show, and he will show that down the stretch. Thomas is a great golfer, even though his attitude rubs people the wrong way at times. He won’t have enough game to defeat Paul in the finals, however. Come on, I have to pick the American!
The Final Say
Big Break IV probably won’t go down as the best season ever, especially going by what I’ve read on the Internet so far. That being said, it’s still my favorite season yet, and I have really enjoyed it. I might just be a boring person or something, but I don’t need all the drama to enjoy the show. And besides, the episode with the Don Donatello drama gave me a headache. I couldn’t deal with that very often.
If you haven’t enjoyed this season so far, give it another chance. It’s getting down to the nitty gritty, and the finish should be very interesting. The final episode will be the same as the past seasons, so you might as well tune in to that at least. I’m looking forward to seeing who ends up in the finals, and then I’ll be cheering on the United States combatant to victory.
That’s all I have this week. Now it’s time for your input. Have you enjoyed this season’s Big Break? If so, what is the biggest positive this season? If not, what is the biggest negative to the season? Finally, who do you think will win the whole thing and get an exemption into the Wales Open? If you have anything to add, please feel free to comment below or discuss it in our forum (heck, we even have a Big Break V thread going. Thanks for reading Thrash Talk this week and don’t forget to check out Big Break IV Tuesday night.
Photo Credits: © The Golf Channel, The Golf Channel.
To start things off, I just want to say that all these gentlemen can probably whoop me up and down the golf course. Then make me carry their bags back to their cars afterwards. In any event, I like The Big Break IV more than any of the other previous seasons. For one, they’re playing at Carnoustie. I enjoy just looking at the course for half the show than anything else. Next, I like the format in which these guys are playing every week. Next, I believe that the field of players is a little deeper than previous seasons. And finally, I like what’s for stake.
As far as predictions, I wouldn’t mind seeing the two captains Warren and Paul battle it out in match play. Both guys I believe are pretty solid all around although I’m not doubting Thomas. In the end though, Paul will come out ahead. He’s playing well, making some great shots, and he’s playing sober. No matter how it all wraps up, I think this season has been the best so far. Also, I wouldn’t mind having Stephanie Sparks give me a few private lessons.
I know that they’re planning to go to Hawaii for the next season. But I wouldn’t mind them heading over to Asia for a season soon.
They’re heading to Hawaii so that, unlike when they were in Virginia, the women wear very little clothing. Dollars to donuts that’s a big part of the reason!
Good point. Now all they have to do is cast the appropriate ladies who have an “ample” amount of talent.