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
bie
First of all, I love reading this column and the perspective of the participants, so soon after each episode. This is my first season watching The Big Break and my mother -- a Golf for Women subscriber -- told me about the weekly columns. I've finally caught up with all of them.
Hmmm. As a Las Vegas resident since the mid '80s, I'll eagerly wager over on Cirbie's index of 1.5. In fact, I don't need to bet on anything else for the rest of my life. Just let me make that wager every time she tees it up, and I'll take my chances.
One correction: Dana dunked it twice from 180 yards, not 140.
I've been rooting for Kim due to her awesome arch and lag and power, not to mention the sytlish dark haired good looks. As a USC alum I'll give her a pass on Washington St roots. That's a USC rival but far enough removed in terms of geography and football heritage that it's friendly enough. :)
Kim has by far the greatest variety of garb in the confessionals. I realize that cancer patient-type scarf is her trademark and preference but damn it conceals her appearance to criminal degree on the course.
It would have been pathetic for the two free swinging high arch bombing cuties -- Liz and Kim -- to be ousted so early.
Kim needs to jettison the ridiculous two-ball putter. Fling it in a lake somewhere a la Charley Hoffman. Those bulky putters are the biggest fraud to hit the golf marketplace in my 35+ years of tinkering. I play a weekly Friday afternoon outing with 15 ultra competitive guys and several of the shaky putters became markedly worse after switching to that type of putter. I could only stand there and try not to chuckle as they topped or yanked or shoved one long putt after another, leading to 3 putt giveaways. That's exactly what I saw from Kim last night. Obscenely predictable. With her length she doesn't need the 5-10 footers as desperately as someone like Susan. Just dodge the 3 putts. But those boxy putters are exponentially more difficult to keep low to the ground and make a consistent stroke on longer putts. That flaw more than offsets any minor theoretical gain on short putt alignment.
I realize this Big Break was filmed in December. Perhaps Kim has already changed from the 2-ball putter. But today I Googled and 3 putts apparently cost her a Duramed title in her first start of '08. Kim had four 3 putts during the second round, a round that was otherwise terrific with an eagle hole out on a par 4, and a hole in one. One day later Kim lost in a playoff, missing a 7 foot birdie putt that she needed to stay alive.
The better putters can handle any type of putter but when you naturally struggle with stroke and confidence a simple type is best, something traditional along the lines of a Ping Anser or Titleist. I noted elsewhere on this site today that Annika and Sergio have astutely switched back to a more standard putter.
Posted by: Gary | May 14, 2008 at 05:36 PM
Gary...Cirbie's interview just got posted.
Check it out!
http://www.golfforwomen.com/magazine/blogs/golfgal/2008/05/get-to-know-big.html
BTW...I was just in Vegas golfing for 5 days. What are your favorite courses? I played Angel Park (Palm and Mountain), Boulder Creek, Legacy and Revere. Did I miss a good one?
Golfgal
Posted by: golfgal | May 27, 2008 at 12:31 AM