Just a quick post to say I've salvaged almost all of the posts I did for GFW that were lost when they closed their doors.
Yes...the Big Break Ka'anapali interviews are back!
Gayle
Golfgal on GFW
September 18, 2008
May 14, 2008
Big Break Ka'anapali - No more Cougar Momma
Well, it was certainly a roller coaster out there tonight on BB Ka'anapali! Just when you thought you had it all worked out - Surprise! Someone does something amazingly brilliant (like Susan chipping in for a birdie on the par 3) or something ridiculously stupid (like Dana not laying up in the playoff after watching how badly Kim's putting was tonight).
I was certain that Kim was going to be leaving after the first two elimination challenges (and watching her very bitter attitude in confessional), but somehow the goddess of golf shone down upon her and she squeaked through after Dana hit it, not once, but twice into the water on both of her tee shots from the 140 yard location. So Dana joined the ranks of Cerbie, Adrienne and Liz, leaving just 8 ladies vying for the coveted LPGA exemption and all that cash!
But even with the bad shots we saw tonight...it was fun to watch the gals play some real golf. And of course, it's always great to watch the glass breaking competition.
Now, let's hear from one of the "story makers" on this week's show, Christina Lecuyer:
Well, Christina, I guess we know now what you meant last week when you said, "Did they not realize I was that good?"
Yeah <chuckle>... All I know is that I'm getting a little too cocky. Now I understand why some people may not like me. I am a little to intense I think.
Last picked on the playground....that's a tough one. How did you feel when that happened?
You know...it kind of stunk. I guess I couldn't really believe I got picked last because I thought people thought I was a good player. So I was surprised by that. But who knows, maybe my intensity makes people nervous. But I'm not going to feel bad about who I am.
There was a brief shot of Tina and Courtney saying that you were very competitive and that may have been a factor.
That may have been, but I don't think many people really knew me at that time. But then again, you'd think that people would want to have someone like that - someone who's really competitive and wants to win - a person who doesn't want to lose no matter what and will do everything she can to win for her team.
Maybe it had something to do with the nature of the 3 team leaders: Dana, Courtney and Sophie - none of them have been particularly aggressive during the previous episodes. How do you think they chose their team mates?
I think everyone picked their roommates first (except my roommate wasn't there) and then they picked someone already known as a strong player. I wasn't known and my roommate wasn't there to pick me.
Well, I think they know you now. When you were on the green in 3 on the par 5, Sam was very complementary about you being a "fighter", but Lori said, "I think we are going to have to crack that nut."
<laugh> Yeah, well, that's fine if that is what she wants to do. And if that's what she thinks she is going to do, let's see her do it.
Another way to look at it is as a complement to your game.
Yeah, I think they were thinking at that point..oh oh...maybe she can play. So I think it was a good thing in the end.
I felt like I was watching Sergio in the press conference after The Players this week when he got the last laugh on the media. How did you feel when you smashed that glass?
I was happy. I thought... you didn't pick me, but guess what, I did it! So maybe it was a bad call NOT picking me.
But being a competitive person, I'm not going to feel bad about it - I'm just going to fight twice as hard when you don't pick me.
How did the teams decide who would play what on the par 3, 4 and 5 challenges? I think we were all a bit surprised how that turned out.
Sophie, Sam and I got together and we each said what we wanted to play. I wanted the par 5, Sam wanted the par 4 and Sophie wanted the par 3. All of us were very confident in the hole we chose.
But we were all completely shocked that Kim did not take the par 5. Everyone thought it was the stupidest move she could have made by not saying, "Hello!!!...I hit the ball 400 yards!"
Dana has been very motherly toward Susan even when she was competing against her. That surprised me, especially during elimination. It was not very Big Break-like.
Dana really took Susan under her wing. She really liked Susan from the beginning and looked at her as a little kid that needed some mothering. And she's right - Susan is so young and kind of naive. it was really nice of Dana to do that.
How old are Susan and Dana?
Susan is around 22 and Dana is 44 or maybe 45 now and has a 20-some year old daughter.
Ah, perhaps she sees a little of her daughter in Susan.
Yeah, exactly...
What was Susan thinking going for the green when she was almost guaranteed safety after the first 2 holes?
That was just poor management and it looked kind of bad. I was watching it with people I'd never watched it before with because I am on the road. And it was funny, but they were saying, "That was just bad golf!" And it was - it was bad golf - poorly executed. A lot of putts were taken and a lot of chip shots were taken. But people don't realize that it is complete and utter, crazy nerves that do that to you.
Even Kim, who Stina said was one of the best golfers left in the field, played bad golf at the end and called herself, "the luckiest, stupidest girl in the world."
Yeah, she admitted it in confessional when she said, "I should have gone home today." She should have - she played bad golf today.
Overall how did you enjoy the show.
I thought it was one of the better shows actually. There was a lot of action tonight for sure.
Any closing remarks?
You know how people say "if you could only watch yourself" Well, I think that my competitiveness is something that brought me to where I am, but I think at the same time that I have to tone it down. I think the reason why this is so different than regular tournament play is because in tournament play you're basically playing yourself and the golf course and people don't really see that competitive nature out there. But on the BB it is so different. I was just being myself and that's who I am, but I think I am a little too intense sometimes.
Thanks Christina for being so open and honest. Good luck playing off for that alternative spot on the US Ladies Open tomorrow. We'll see you next week in Vancouver at the CN Women's Tour event and talk to you again after the show.
On a closing note...
Two weeks ago we saw Cirbie (AKA Golf Vixen) leave the show. I just wanted to let you know that I've heard from Cirbie and she wanted to "set the record straight" on a few things about her game. Check out the post I did that night and check out her comments at the bottom of the post. Thanks Cirbie! Don't be a stranger; we'd love to hear more from you about the show and your experience.
Funny, but I feel like I'm living vicariously through these ladies, don't you?
Golfgal
Continue reading "Big Break Ka'anapali - No more Cougar Momma" »
April 23, 2008
Big Break Ka'anapali - Episode 2 - The Eliminator (Not)
Well well well...wasn't that an interesting episode of The Big Break Ka'anapali ... an elimination round without an elimination.
Here we thought someone was going home and instead, everyone started sleeping together. Yes, it was roommate madness in this episode with each of the ladies being assigned a new surprise roommate after the luxury of having their own rooms the first few days they were on Maui.
I would not have enjoyed bunking with a stranger, but I guess beggars can't be choosers, and so you had to hope for the best and get a roommate who didn't snore and didn't back stab you in the night to improve their position in the Big Break.
Then, on top of that, the competitors had to partner with their roomies in the "safety challenges" and hope that they wouldn't pull them down when they were fighting desperately to stay in the game. Challengers became buddies, but for how long?
I asked Big Breaker, Christina Lecuyer, who's playing a Futures Tour event in Texas this week what it was like that day...
What was with that weather!? That doesn't look like the Ka'anapali I came to know and love when I played there last year.
You know, that was probably our 5th day on the island and the weather was awful. One day we sat in the hotel room the whole day because everything was just wiped out. Even the roads were closed - the weather was that bad.
How did you enjoy your first elimination challenge?
Well, I probably hit two of the worse shots I've ever hit... well maybe not ever hit... but I'm definitely not proud of the two golf shots I hit on this show, but hopefully there is more to come.
In terms of roommates, you and Lori seemed to be okay with each other.
Absolutely, we were fine. 
But Lori had a big problem with Dana in the beginning. Lori and Dana weren't getting along. I had no problem with Dana or Lori. Frankly, I would have probably been happy with anyone (at that time). [Golfgal aside...something tells me that later she might not have been so comfortable with "anyone"]
But if you were asked to choose a roommate, was there one person you would have chosen over the rest?
Hmmm...If I could have chosen a roommate, I probably would have chosen Sam. She's the one I probably talked with the most during the first few days, but I was happy to be with Lori.
Were there any "oil and water" pairings?
I kinda thought that Adrienne and Cirbie were a little bit different, but not in the end.
So what was all the fuss about the flag?
Well, for that part of the competition, it was a race. And they said, "On your mark... get set... go!" And I took off. The wind was really blowing and our flags were kind of blowing together and I grabbed both of them by mistake. But I gave one to Susan when I realized I had both of them. Then, I ran and put our flag into the ground and I thought I had it. I'm not going to apologize for going for it. I wasn't about to say, "Oh sure, go ahead." It was a race!
When it was over, I went over and said I was sorry I grabbed her flag and said, "Hey, I didn't mean to grab your flag, but that it is the way it happened."
But that wasn't the end of it...
Well, when I said I didn't mean it and it was just what happened, Dana said something stupid, "Just because I didn't mean to hit it out of bounds doesn't mean I didn't hit it." She was being a smart__s about it. Whatever...
Lori seemed more upset about the whole thing than you did.
Lori got pretty mad about it, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I tried to blow it off. I think she was more upset about Dana's comment.
Do you think she hit it fat because she was upset?
They didn't show it on the air, but we had a really crappy lie [remember, Lori and Christina were at 115 yards when they were forced to give up their spot to Susan and Dana]. It was an area that wasn't really mowed down properly and it was really wet. It just happened.
Given how competitive you are, how did you feel relying on another player to keep you out of elimination? Watching it, it reminded me of Solheim or Ryder Cup matches.
As you can tell in this show it really helped me. In this show, it worked in my advantage. If I was Courtney I wouldn't have been very happy. But, you know, things happen and you can't really do anything about it. It could have been the other way around, but I'm happy that in this case she helped me.
Did you like the final elimination challenge being non-competitive?
It was okay, but as Liz who said, "This is a game and I want to see as many people as possible go home that is not me."
Even though I didn't say it, I have to be honest...I was hoping that they'd both go home. It's a competition and the more people that get kicked out that isn't you, the better chance you've got. So I was kinda of with Liz, to be honest. After all, it is a game show.
Do you think that The Golf Channel are portraying the women objectively? Some of the ladies (Lori, in particular) are getting pretty beat up in the golf forums.
I don't know....I think everything will work out in the end. Right now, I think they are using comments that will get people talking and I guess there are talking...right? :)
Yes, they are talking...
Golfgal
April 21, 2008
Lorena needs a new nickname
Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer that ever lived, went from "Fat Jack" to "The Golden Bear". I think it might be just a tad overdue to give Lorena a new nickname and drop the "Ochoka" forever from her resume.
The No. 1 player in the game, Lorena had been frustrated by her inability to close out a major championships until she broke her 0 for 24 stat by winning the British Open last year at St. Andrews.
Yesterday, Lorena did something even more impressive - she became the 4th LPGA golfer in 45 years to win four tournaments in as many weeks, claiming the Ginn Open title on Sunday. "Ms. 59", Annika Sorenstam, won four consecutive LPGA titles in 2001. Mickey Wright did it in 1962 and 1963 and fellow Kathy Whitworth followed with her streak in 1969.
So what is it with nicknames? It you take a look at all the great golfers, they usually all have nicknames - some more than one. But in the men's arena, even the lackluster have them as well. Our friend at The Sand Trap did a nice job listing a ton of male golfer nicknames for us, including:
Phil Mickelson - FIGJAM (I won't share with you what this means in a G-rated blog)
Craig Stadler - The Walrus
Ernie Els - The Big Easy
Retief Goosen - The Little Easy (also called the Silent Assassin by some)
Tim Herron - Lumpy
Mike Weir - Weirzy
Brian Gay - All Day Gay
Constantino Rocca - The Italian Bandit
Fred Couples - Boom Boom
K.J. Choi - Tank
Miguel Angel Jimenez - The Mechanic
Corey Pavin - The Bulldog
Greg Norman - The Shark
Loren Roberts - Boss of the Moss (I like this one personally :))
...to name a few. Even PGA caddies have nicknames - like Jim Furyk's caddie, "Fluff" and Phil's caddie, "Bones".
So, why don't more women golfers have nicknames? Sure, we have the Pink Panther (Paula Creamer) and The Big Wiesy (Michelle Wie). And JoAnne Carner was called "The Great Gundy" and "Big Mama" in her heyday. Nancy Lopez was sometimes called Slowpez (but not to her face). Mae Louise Suggs was known affectionately as "Miss Sluggs." So there are some, but I really could only find a handful in my research.
To this day, Lorena hasn't been given a nickname that does her justice. She has a Superman club head cover and her coaches in college called her "Super Ochoa", but even that doesn't seem to be enough for a women who reigns supreme in Golf Stadium.
Hey, that's it! Lorena Ochoa doesn't need a nickname, what she needs is a respelling of her name to: Lo-Reign-a!
Golfgal
Photo by: © Isogood | Dreamstime.com
Ochoa simply dominant
The Vancouver Sun
21 Apr 2008
M I A M I — Wo r l d No . 1 Lorena Ochoa became the first player in seven years to win four successive LPGA titles with a three- shot victory at the Ginn Open in Orlando on Sunday. Mexican Ochoa, a stroke in front overnight at the Ginn Reunion Resort,...read more...
April 16, 2008
Big Break Ka'anapali - Episode 1 - Christina's View
After waiting for weeks for this show to air, I am happy to say it finally arrived. The Big Break Ka'anapali kicked off tonight on The Golf Channel and I was glued to the set.
I've been posting about it for a while now, so you might want to check back with some early sneak peeks into the show and one of its stars.
Meet the unforgettable Big Breaker Christina Lecuyer
Count down to Big Break Ka'anapali - more from Christina Lecuyer
It was so great watching the show knowing that I'd have a post show commentary by Christina (I circled her in this picture). I kept wondering what she was thinking as she saw it for the first time.
I'm not sure if the show started with a bang or a whimper for me. I was so anxious to see the golf, that the first 10 minutes of the show made me impatient. I also thought the drama and catty side of the ladies was brought on a bit too quickly. I wanted to like all the girls to start, but it was hard because the producers/editors/directors really left you with some first impressions that weren't good. I'm not sure that was fair to the ladies.
Anyway, enough of what I thought, let's hear from the Big Breaker herself...
I caught up with Christina Lecuyer tonight in Lafayette Louisiana where she’s preparing for a Friday tournament and we had a short chat about her thoughts on the first episode…
What were your first impressions of the show, Christina?
It was hard to watch. <chuckle> I feel like such a dork sometimes. Obviously I’ll say this over and over again, but I’m so competitive and I don’t even know the cameras are there. I’m concentrating so hard on winning and the competition. I am just playing the best that I possibly can and so I’m really focused on that and not the cameras.
When I hear myself say, “Oh man, I hope she chokes”, I realize that it’s not great. But it’s just the competition and that’s all it is to me. I don’t mean anything personal by it; I don’t even know these girls. But that was kind of hard to watch.
It surprised me to see you rip your clothes off to get into the water after our last conversation where you shared that you weren’t comfortable in a bikini in front of the cameras.
<laughing> Seeing myself in a bathing suit on national television -- that was really hard. Knowing there are guys at my country club watching and my parents and all kinds of other people watching – that was very difficult for me. But I didn’t think about it at the time; it was just me and the competition.
What was with that first competition – digging in the sand for a clue – guessing hula moves – driving like maniacs to get to the first set of tees – seemed kind of silly to me…
It was very Reality TV-like. One of the associate producers is a huge fan of The Amazing Race and since it is one of the most popular reality TV shows, really well produced and has won a lot of awards, The Golf Channel wanted to try something new and that was their take on that. I don’t think we’ll be seeing too much more of that.
What was the first tee shot like on the Big Break Ka'anapali?
Obviously I didn’t know if I had the right club in that 30 mph wind and I screamed at the ball “Get Up!” Well, the adrenalin was pumping and I hit a hybrid and I flew the circle by quite a bit. The second time I took one quick breath beforehand and tried not to kill it, and it ended up being great.
When you said “miss it miss it miss it”, do you remember saying that?
No, I really do not remember saying those things at all and it is so embarrassing watching it now. At the same time, what I was saying is probably what the other girls were thinking. I’m not going to take it back, but it’s not like I want to be mean to anyone - it’s a competition and I want to win!
Drama seemed to be starting already between the ladies and they just met. For example Lori closed off the show saying Dana is tough to get along with. I didn’t see anything on the show to warrant that. Did I miss something?
There was a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff they didn’t show tonight, but I think as the series goes on you’ll be able to see perhaps where that was coming from.
I was surprised at the obvious differences in talent out there as well. Cerbie and Susan seemed a bit out of place with their inexperience.
I think that was all of our first impressions when we first went out there. I think that the bets going around after the first show, and everyone’s assumptions were, the first two people to be kicked off will be Cirbie and Susan, but you just never know…
Susan doesn’t seem to take things as seriously as others. She ended the show saying she wanted to be in the elimination challenge because then she’d get to play more games and that she likes playing games.
When you first meet Susan she comes off as a little ditzy, just ho-humming around. Who knows maybe it will change throughout the series. <silence>
We never got to see the elimination challenge. That really disappointed me as it is often the most exciting part.
I think they are trying to put a different mix in this show and it has thrown a lot of people for bit of a loop. I think it will become more "mainstream Big Break" going forward.
After the first day, who did you think was your toughest competitor?
I didn’t pick one, but I definitely narrowed it down to a few girls who had a really good chance of going far. You can obviously tell when you look at someone’s golf swing, when you look at someone’s demeanor, when you look at someone’s attitude, when you look at how nervous someone is, you can tell a few things and see who is ready to play or who’s not.
Girls that stuck out at the beginning that I didn’t think were going to go very far were Cirbie and Susan. Girls that I thought were good competitors -- the 3 biggest ones in my mind were:
Adrienne – she was the only girl I’d every met prior to the show and I knew she had a lot of talent.
Lori – just because she was extremely driven and competitive. She was there to win. And like she said on the show, she’ll run you over to get there.
Kim – she’s a great player. You can tell by her talent level, she smokes the ball. She hits the ball soooo far. It’s intimidating, but then it’s not intimidating. Obviously she’s not on the LPGA and there is a reason for that. I made it just as far as she has in golf, so it’s not like I can’t beat her, but she definitely smokes it. I think Adrienne said she hits it like a guy and she’s right.
Any other comments about the first episode filming you want to end with here?
That first episode took almost 4 days to shoot. That last scene where all four of us had to hit different shots from different locations…that took almost a full day of shooting. We sat on some guy’s porch the whole day. The weather was not cooperating with rain and thunder. It was pouring so hard you couldn’t see two feet in front of your face. It was eally tough.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, but it was a lot of work.
Thanks Christina...always a pleasure chatting with you. Same time next week?
Absolutely...see you next Tuesday, same time!
Golfgal
