Golf Channel's Big Break Series Selects Myrtle Beach as Backdrop for 22nd Season

Premiering Oct. 7, Big Break Myrtle Beach to Feature Cast of Six Men and Six Women Taking Place at Barefoot Resort & Golf and Pawleys Plantation

(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Golf Channel’s popular Big Break competition series has selected Myrtle Beach as the production location for its 22nd season, premiering Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET.

Big Break Myrtle Beach, produced in partnership with Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and South Carolina Tourism, will feature a cast of aspiring golf professionals – six men and six women – looking for that jumpstart in their golf careers with the goal of achieving their lifelong dreams of playing alongside the world’s top golfers. Taking place at Barefoot Resort & Golf, Big Break Myrtle Beach’s ultimate winner will receive an exemption to a 2015 PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour event, along with cash and other prizes.

“Big Break is a cornerstone to our original productions franchises, and has been a proving ground for many professional golfers looking to break through to the world’s top tours, including South Carolina natives Tommy Gainey and Kristy McPherson,” said Jay Kossoff, Golf Channel vice president of original productions and Big Break executive producer. “Our goal is to place our competitors in pressure situations while at the same time showcase an elite golf destination. We accomplished both with Big Break Myrtle Beach and are excited to bring the series to the Grand Strand for our 22nd season.”

Joining long-time host Tom Abbott as co-host for Big Break Myrtle Beach will be Golf Channel analyst and LPGA Tour professional Paige Mackenzie. A seven-year veteran of the LPGA Tour who also currently serves as co-host for Morning Drive, Mackenzie will provide analysis from a player’s perspective throughout the series, detailing the pressure the competitors will face with each challenge.

“I’m excited to team with Tom in bringing insight to fans and viewers at home watching Big Break Myrtle Beach,” said Mackenzie. “The series has gained a lot of popularity within the professional tours with past contestants sharing how the pressure is unlike anything they have ever experienced. This season will be no different, with pressure and drama each and every week.”

Filmed on location in June, the series will unfold on three of Barefoot Resort’s award-winning golf courses – The Dye, Fazio and Love Courses – as well as Pawleys Plantation on Pawleys Island.

The Dye Course, a classic Pete Dye layout, has been ranked among the nation’s top 100 public courses by Golf Digest and was recently named 2013 South Carolina Golf Course of the Year by the South Carolina Golf Course Owners Association.

The Fazio Course, designed by renowned architect Tom Fazio, has been ranked as one of America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses by Golf Digest.

The Love Course, designed by Carolina native Davis Love III, has been ranked among America's Top 100 You Can Play by Golf Magazine for years and as the top-ranked golf course in Myrtle Beach by Golf Digest.

Pawleys Plantation, the award-winning Jack Nicklaus design just south of Myrtle Beach on Pawleys Island, also will host an episode of Big Break Myrtle Beach.

The Marina Inn and Resort at Grande Dunes served as official host resort for the competitors and production team during the filming of the series.

“We look forward to showcasing everything a Myrtle Beach golf vacation has to offer and giving 12 aspiring young professionals an opportunity that could change their life,” said Bill Golden, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday President. “Big Break is a Golf Channel institution, and the timing was perfect to partner the game’s most popular show with its most popular destination. The drama of Big Break Myrtle Beach will unfold on some of the nation’s best golf courses, and we can’t wait for viewers to get an inside look at our destination.”

“Big Break Myrtle Beach will illustrate what so many golfers already know about South Carolina – that it is the best golf destination in the country,” said Duane Parrish, Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “Our year-round mild climate, naturally beautiful settings, challenging courses and major events combine to make South Carolina just right for golf.”

Golf Channel’s Big Break show concept pits highly skilled golfers against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness.  During Big Break Myrtle Beach, the competitors – who will be announced in August – will be subject to skills challenges from tee-to-green, including the popular “Glass Break” and “Flop Wall.”  One contestant will be eliminated each week, with the last player standing awarded his or her Big Break, an opportunity to compete on the PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour in 2015.

For the past 21 seasons, Golf Channel’s Big Break competition series has proven to be the launching pad for many aspiring professional golfers looking to take that next step in their golf careers, including PGA TOUR winners Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey and Matt Every, and U.S. Solheim Cup participants Kristy McPherson, Gerina Piller and Ryann O’Toole. Several other past Big Break competitors are currently competing on the world’s top tours, including Tony Finau, James Nitties and Mark Silvers on the Web.com Tour, and Nicole Smith, Jackie Stoelting and Kim Welch on the LPGA Tour.

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