The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe
Encyclopedia
The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe was filmed in June 2005, and premiered on September 13 of the same year. The twelve hopefuls (including Bart Lower) were taken to Scotland
's Carnoustie
, and the Old Course
in St Andrews
to compete for exemptions into two European Tour events (the Algarve Open de Portugal and the Celtic Manor Wales Open
), an endorsement deal with Bridgestone Golf
, a two-year lease on a Ford Explorer
, and a $5,000 gift card from Dick's Sporting Goods
. The Golf Channel made this a competition between players from the United States
and Europe, much like the Ryder Cup
. Vince Cellini
and Stephanie Sparks
returned as hosts.
The six hopefuls representing Team USA were Lower; Randall Hunt from Los Angeles
, who currently lives in Arlington, Texas
; Tommy Gainey
, known as "Two Gloves," who hails from Bishopville, South Carolina
; T.J. Valentine from Plymouth, Massachusetts; David Carnell, a Miami resident who is originally from Park Forest, Illinois
; and Paul Holtby from Simi Valley, California
. Team Europe's six hopefuls were former British Amateur
winner Warren Bladon of Leamington Spa
, England
; Guy Woodman from Old Windsor
, England; Edoardo Gardino, a Crans-Montana
, Switzerland
resident who is originally from Azti, Italy
; Marty Wilde Jr. from Tewin
, England; Richard Gillot from Paris
; and Thomas Blankvoort from Wassenaar
, Netherlands
.
Lower was the first contestant eliminated, surprising, considering the fact that he finished third on The Big Break II. Gillot, who won a Challenge Tour
event in 2000, was the next to go, followed by Carnell, then Gardino. The USA-Europe elimination trade-off continued with Gainey getting the boot. It finally stopped with Hunt being eliminated in a two-part episode (the Immunity
Challenge took a full hour, while Elimination took another). With just two members left, Team USA was given two episodes off so that the European team could be whittled down to its last two. In the first episode of this, ex-Amateur Championship winner Bladon was out, with Wilde to follow the next week. The final two were determined in a double-elimination episode, in which Woodman defeated Blankvoort and Holtby beat Valentine in separate 9-hole matchplay challenges. Holtby went on to defeat Woodman in the matchplay final, 1 Up. Unlike the previous editions, all the eliminated contestants stayed, followed the match and even took group photos with the winner.
In the Algarve Open, Holtby shot 1-over for two rounds, missing the cut by one shot.
Each team had one member with a claim to fame. European team player Wilde is the son of British singer Marty Wilde
and the brother of Kim Wilde
, who sang the 1981 hit, "Kids in America." Team USA member Valentine is the son of former professional bowler Jeffrey Valentine. Valentine also operates a popular golf logo brand company called 8 Under Par http://www.8underpar.com.Another European team member, Gardino, has caddied in two Ryder Cups (1999 and 2002), carrying bags for players like Sergio García
, Miguel Ángel Jiménez
, and José María Olazábal
. Gardino also caddied for Ángel Cabrera
in the 2005 Presidents Cup
and 2007 U.S. Open
During the show's run, a new behind-the-scenes show called The Big Break IV: All Access debuted and aired on "Top Shelf Wednesday," a weekly primetime block of programming hosted by Cellini. Big Break III alumnus Ochoa worked as a reporter for the All Access show.
Promotional ads leading up to the show's premiere were set to Bon Jovi
's 1987 hit "Livin' On a Prayer
."
The show's website can be found here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/20096 It, too, is available on DVD: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=5005&select=240
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's Carnoustie
Carnoustie Golf Links
The Carnoustie Golf Links are in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Its historic championship golf course is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation.-History:...
, and the Old Course
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
to compete for exemptions into two European Tour events (the Algarve Open de Portugal and the Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Wales Open
The Saab Wales Open, previously the Celtic Manor Wales Open, is a European Tour golf tournament which was founded in 2000 and is played each June. The event is hosted at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, South Wales, also the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup...
), an endorsement deal with Bridgestone Golf
Bridgestone Golf
Bridgestone Golf is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Sports Ltd, and is based in Covington, Georgia, United States. The company is primarily known for their golf balls, and claim to be the number one golf ball producer in Japan...
, a two-year lease on a Ford Explorer
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a sport-utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Chicago, Illinois...
, and a $5,000 gift card from Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
. The Golf Channel made this a competition between players from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe, much like the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
. Vince Cellini
Vince Cellini
Vincent Robert Cellini is a long-time sports broadcaster for radio and television. Most recently, he was an anchor and program host for The Golf Channel. It was reported that his contract was not renewed for 2010.-Early life and career:...
and Stephanie Sparks
Stephanie Sparks
Stephanie Sparks is an on-air personality at The Golf Channel and a former golfer, whose best years in golf came as an amateur.-Golfer:...
returned as hosts.
The six hopefuls representing Team USA were Lower; Randall Hunt from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, who currently lives in Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
; Tommy Gainey
Tommy Gainey
Tommy Gainey , also known as "Two Gloves", is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.-Early pro career:Gainey was born in Darlington, South Carolina. He attended the Central Carolina Technical College just outside of Darlington...
, known as "Two Gloves," who hails from Bishopville, South Carolina
Bishopville, South Carolina
Bishopville is a city in Lee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,670 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.-Geography:Bishopville is located at ....
; T.J. Valentine from Plymouth, Massachusetts; David Carnell, a Miami resident who is originally from Park Forest, Illinois
Park Forest, Illinois
Park Forest is a village located south of Chicago in Cook County and Will County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 23,462...
; and Paul Holtby from Simi Valley, California
Simi Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
. Team Europe's six hopefuls were former British Amateur
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
winner Warren Bladon of Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; Guy Woodman from Old Windsor
Old Windsor
Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-Location:...
, England; Edoardo Gardino, a Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana is a ski resort in western Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1500 m above sea level, allowing good view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
resident who is originally from Azti, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; Marty Wilde Jr. from Tewin
Tewin
Tewin is a village in the English county of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Welwyn and the county town Hertford, it is within commuting distance of London...
, England; Richard Gillot from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; and Thomas Blankvoort from Wassenaar
Wassenaar
Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Lower was the first contestant eliminated, surprising, considering the fact that he finished third on The Big Break II. Gillot, who won a Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
event in 2000, was the next to go, followed by Carnell, then Gardino. The USA-Europe elimination trade-off continued with Gainey getting the boot. It finally stopped with Hunt being eliminated in a two-part episode (the Immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
Challenge took a full hour, while Elimination took another). With just two members left, Team USA was given two episodes off so that the European team could be whittled down to its last two. In the first episode of this, ex-Amateur Championship winner Bladon was out, with Wilde to follow the next week. The final two were determined in a double-elimination episode, in which Woodman defeated Blankvoort and Holtby beat Valentine in separate 9-hole matchplay challenges. Holtby went on to defeat Woodman in the matchplay final, 1 Up. Unlike the previous editions, all the eliminated contestants stayed, followed the match and even took group photos with the winner.
In the Algarve Open, Holtby shot 1-over for two rounds, missing the cut by one shot.
Each team had one member with a claim to fame. European team player Wilde is the son of British singer Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky Wilde, Kim Wilde and Roxanne Wilde.-Career:Wilde was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in...
and the brother of Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, who sang the 1981 hit, "Kids in America." Team USA member Valentine is the son of former professional bowler Jeffrey Valentine. Valentine also operates a popular golf logo brand company called 8 Under Par http://www.8underpar.com.Another European team member, Gardino, has caddied in two Ryder Cups (1999 and 2002), carrying bags for players like Sergio García
Sergio García
Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, Miguel Ángel Jiménez
Miguel Angel Jiménez
Miguel Ángel Jiménez Rodríguez is a Spanish professional golfer. He has won 18 times on the European Tour.-Early years:...
, and José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
. Gardino also caddied for Ángel Cabrera
Angel Cabrera
Ángel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The duck" for his waddling gait. He is a former U.S. Open champion and Masters champion. He is the first Argentine to win either...
in the 2005 Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
and 2007 U.S. Open
During the show's run, a new behind-the-scenes show called The Big Break IV: All Access debuted and aired on "Top Shelf Wednesday," a weekly primetime block of programming hosted by Cellini. Big Break III alumnus Ochoa worked as a reporter for the All Access show.
Promotional ads leading up to the show's premiere were set to Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's 1987 hit "Livin' On a Prayer
Livin' on a Prayer
"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band...
."
The show's website can be found here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/20096 It, too, is available on DVD: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=5005&select=240
Elimination Chart
| Contestant | Ep. 21 | Ep. 3 | Ep. 4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7/82 | Ep. 9 | Ep. 10 | Ep. 11/12 | Ep. 13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mulligan |
Team |
None | Team |
None | Team |
None | None | Team |
None | None | |
| Paul | IN | WIN | HIGH | WIN | LOW | HIGH | IN3 | IN | WIN6 | WIN7 | |
| Guy | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN4 | LOW | WIN6 | OUT | |
| Thomas | WIN | HIGH | WIN | IN | WIN | HIGH | LOW | WIN | OUT | ||
| TJ | IN | WIN | LOW | WIN | HIGH | LOW | IN3 | IN | OUT | ||
| Marty | WIN | IN | WIN | HIGH | WIN | LOW | HIGH | OUT | |||
| Warren | WIN | IN | WIN | LOW | WIN | HIGH | OUT | ||||
| Randal | LOW | WIN | HIGH | WIN | HIGH | OUT | |||||
| Tommy | HIGH | WIN | IN | WIN | OUT | ||||||
| Edoardo | WIN | LOW | WIN | OUT | |||||||
| David | IN | WIN | OUT | ||||||||
| Richard | WIN | OUT | |||||||||
| Bart | OUT | ||||||||||
- 1 In the first episode, Team Europe won the skills challenge. Each player won an opportunity to win a car, none of which won.
- 2 During the 7th episode, an immunity challenge took place. Both teams tied so during the 8th episode, everyone went into elimination. There was no immunity winner this round.
- 3 Due to the imbalance of the number of players on each team, the remaining members of Team USA were given the next two episodes off as Team Europe was in the process of being whittled down to two players.
- 4 After winning immunity, Guy won a Ford Vehicle after draining a 45 foot putt in the Ford Prize Challenge (which the weekly winner(s) of immunity got to participate in)
- 5 In the 11th episode, the remaining teams squared off for a two-year lease on a Ford Explorer and all expenses paid trip back to Scotland were up for grabs, rather than a mulligan.
- 6 In the 12th episode, the remaining players from each team would have to face their own teammate in a 9 hole match play face off in order to win their spot in the final 2. Paul would defeat T.J. 5 & 4, Guy would defeat Thomas 3 & 1.
- 7 Paul won "The Big Break IV: USA vs Europe" 1 up over Guy.
- Contestant was on Team USA
- Contestant was on Team Europe
- Green background and WIN means the contestant won matchplay final and The Big Break.
- Blue background and WIN means the contestant won immunityImmunity (reality television)Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
from the elimination challenge. - Light blue background and HIGH means the contestant had a higher score in the elimination challenge.
- White background and IN means the contestant had a good enough score to move onto the next episode during the elimination challenge.
- Orange background and LOW means the contestant had one of the lower scores for the elimination challenge.
- Gray background and IN means the player was safe and had the episode off.
- Red background and OUT means the contestant was eliminated from the competition