OT: Golf's 'Big Break' won by a local!

[Blakeon18]

Last night the Golf Channel aired the final episode of Big Break [taped last September].
South Hadley's Richy Werenski won it...worth about 100 grand in prizes and an invitation
to a summer PGA event. They started with 12 competitors and eliminated one per week.
Many of the elimination events are kind of freakish but Richy simply beat his last opponent in a regular match play 18 hole round. He qualified for the Web.Com tour a couple of months later and is having modest success so far in 2015. He belongs to The Orchards in South Hadley...site of the 2004 U.S. Women's Open...a very neat course.

Winners of the Big Break get some fame...perhaps beyond their ability....but I hope this gets Richy a couple of sponsor's exemptions to future PGA events. Hmmm...the Traveler's tourney in Cromwell would be doing itself
a favor if they offered Richy one of their exemptions...imo. Local kid...Golf Channel would be pleased to hype his appearance..and he can play.

I read that none of the competitors could say a word about the results...losing all prizes...fines.... would follow. Congratulations to Richy...not too many PGA tour players are from New England [Keegan Bradley
the best current one]...hopefully Werenski will get on that level...I think he is about 23 or so.

 

[ChicagoGG]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if his reward was The Travelers Championship. They pride themselves on giving exemptions to up-and-coming golfers, and Richy certainly qualifies. And it is the only TOUR event in New England other than the Deutschebank at TPC Boston, which is a FED EX Championship event and only open to the top 100 in points. Hope to see him there (only two months away, golf fans!! Summer is coming...)

 

[Blakeon18]

Just to be clear...the invitation won on the show is for some other tourney in the summer....not the Traveler's.

 

[ChicagoGG]

Just to be clear...the invitation won on the show is for some other tourney in the summer....not the Traveler's.

Bummer....but maybe Travelers will give him an exemption if he applies....would love to see him play.

 

[boontonbomber]

Big Break competitors have had some success on tour, most prominently Matt Every( about $8 million won), and Tommy ' Two Gloves ' Gainey( about $6 million won). Werenski has made the cut in 5 of 7 tournaments , and had his best finish in Mexico last week ( T18). The Web.Com is very, very competitive, loaded with young guns, along with former regular tour players trying to get back.

 

[Blakeon18]

An unrelated golf item: I see that Paula Creamer...a really good 'young vet' on the LPGA tour...
has said that she would love it if the powers-that-be at Augusta would host a Masters tournament
for women to be held the week after the current Masters. She claims it would really help grow the game.
Probably true. BTW: the Masters has hosted for the past 2 years a Drive/Chip/Putt contest for kids from 7-13
on the Sunday before the tournament. The Golf Channel has aired that and it looked great. I bet the number
of applicants for that....local/regional competition leading to Augusta...just explodes next year.

I seriously doubt Augusta will do what Paula wishes....but it would be fascinating if they did.

BTW#2: Paula wants that wished -for Masters to be the 6th major for the women. Yikes!
Four was/is and will be the right number for majors....imo.