The Golf Channel hosted a premiere party at Omni Montelucia on Wednesday at CENTRO in Scottsdale, Ariz. to showcase Big Break Florida, the latest season in the popular reality series. Guests of the invite-only event had an opportunity to watch a pre-screening of the first episode, which will air on Golf Channel on Monday, February 24.
Six current members of the Epson Tour will be featured in the latest season of the reality series: Kristi O’Brien, Fiamma Felitch, Jackie Stoelting, Mary Narzisi, Renee Skidmore and Sadena Parks.
Big Break Florida serves as a springboard for 12 women to jump start their professional golf careers and to have the opportunity to fulfill their lifelong dream of competing in an LPGA Tour event. After each episode, one of the 12 players is eliminated from the show. In order to survive, the players must conquer a series of head-to-head challenges that will test their golf skills and mental fortitude. The winner of this year’s Big Break Florida will receive an exemption into the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, which will take place June 5-8 and full, exempt status on the Epson Tour for the 2015 season with all entry fees paid.
Three Epson Tour members in Big Break Florida will compete in the first event of the year: Stoelting, Narzisi and Parks. The Visit Mesa Gateway Classic begins on Friday, Feb. 21 and finishes with the final round of the 54-hole format on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Short bios of the six Epson Tour players involved in the Big Break Florida are below.
Kristi O’Brien – The 23-year old is a rookie on the Epson Tour. She played collegiately at the University of Indiana – Purdue University (IUPUI). O’Brien was the 2011 Indiana State Player of the Year.
Fiamma Felitch – The 24-year old from Oklahoma City, Okla. joined the Epson Tour in 2011.
Jackie Stoelting – The 27-year old finished 22nd on the Epson Tour money list in 2013. She is an LPGA rookie in 2014. Stoelting earned conditional status by finishing T-38 (-1) at the 2013 LPGA Qualifying Tournament. The Vero Beach, Fla. native made the cut at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open at Sebonack.
Mary Narzisi – The 24-year old made six cuts in 15 events played last season with her best finish a T26 at the Four Winds Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Narzisi played her college golf at the University of Minnesota and owns the fifth-lowest season scoring average in the history of the program.
Renee Skidmore – The 27-year-old from Jupiter, Fla. will begin her second season on the Epson Tour in 2014. In 2013, she made the cut in eight of 14 tournaments she appeared with a personal best T-25 at the Epson Classic in Charlotte, N.C.
Sadena Parks – The 23-year old from Scottsdale, Ariz. will start her second season on the Epson Tour in 2014. Parks made six cuts in 13 total events last season. She played collegiately at the University of Washington and was the first African American golfer at the university.
Big Break Florida premieres on Feb 24 at 9 p.m. ET, and re-airs at Midnight ET. From 8-9 p.m. ET on Feb 24 will be special “Meet the Players” episode, airing at 8 and 8:30 p.m.
For more information about Big Break Florida, visit http://www.golfchannel.com/tv/big-break-florida/