Great show tonight... and not just because Susan continues to show her stuff week after week.  Everyone on the show is starting to prove that they can hit shots when they really need to.  

I was actually quite impressed with Courtney and I feel that this Big Break experience is going to help her immensely in her future endeavors... maybe even on a grander scale than any of the other twelve Ka'anapali competitors.  The first comments I remember from Courtney was how lost she felt without her husband Kevin.  How he really did everything for her on the golf course... everything but actually hitting the shot for her.  I had a real bad feeling about how Courtney was going to do from the get go... but found myself growing more confident in her staying on the show as the weeks passed.  This is someone that really grew as a player right before our eyes.  This is someone that showed up on day one with very little confidence to play this game on her own, and is leaving the show believing that she is just as capable of succeeding on her own as she is with her husband by her side.  What a great learning experience for her.  I do also feel this is a very valuable lesson for many coaches / parents / teachers / mentors / etc... as important as it is for us to teach and guide our students with passion, it is just as important for us to let them go out and learn on their own.  Sometimes it's not easy, but it's necessary!  And last but not least... awesome birdie Courtney... way to go out with a bang!!!

As for the remaining players on the show... I could actually see any one of these women winning.  Lori couldn't have said it better.  "We all have our strengths, and we all have our weaknesses!"  I see that as being a very accurate statement... although they all have more strengths than weaknesses to say the least.  I think the choice of competitions is going to be a huge factor in who is the final player standing.  

This past week Susan Choi played in her first ever Canadian Women's Tour event.  Entering the final nine holes of the tournament, four shots back of the leader, Susan went on to make birdies on holes number 10, 11, 12, 13 & 15.  This phenomenal play got Susan into a playoff.  She went on to make par in the playoff and finished the tournament in second place.  Her final round was the lowest round of the tournament... on a very difficult course, with tough conditions.  

Awesome playing Susan... keep up the good work!!!

This afternoon Susan and I sat down for some lunch... so I thought it might be nice to ask her a couple questions about what she thinks about the Big Break so far:

 - What does it feel like to watch yourself on TV week in and week out?

Very strange actually!  I laugh a lot... but I also learn a lot from watching myself talk and compete.  I really can't believe I hit some of the shots I hit.  But in all, it's an experience that money could never buy.  So few people are lucky enough to have something like this happen in their life.  Even though I wish I could hit some shots over, I think I'm a better player because of it.  

 

 - If you could pick one shot to have over, out of the what's happened so far in the competition, which one would it be?

Oh definitely the shot I took to get into the $5,000 challenge!  My heart kind of sank when they told us that the players still in that challenge could win all that money.  I don't think I would've approached the shot any differently... I just wish I could get another shot at it!   

 - What do you think has been the toughest challenge so far?

I'd say the first one... mainly because of all the cameras.  It was so new for me and something that took me a few shots to get used to.  There were around fifteen cameras at every angle... and all of a sudden someone says "Play away".  I was like..... NOW? Wow!!  Very strange and scary experience.  I got used to it quick though.  I really feel stronger because of it!

 

 - What was your favorite challenge?

Definitely short-game challenge out of the bunker.  That was really fun.  Like I said on TV, I love bunker shots... even like them more under pressure.  For some reason I really like challenging myself out of the bunkers.  I think it's because when I learned the game I really wasn't great out of the bunkers and I've really, really worked hard on my bunker game over the last few years.  Plus I love the beach!  Ha, ha!!

 - Can you give the Golf Fitness Magazine readers any tips on what is to come on the Big Break?

Unfortunetely no!  You just have to keep watching the show!

As a former competitor, I do understand how easy it is to get caught up in the moment.  The heat of battle can sometimes even be a complete blur... and quite often completely taking a player out of their norm.  One situation in this week's show, that I would like to briefly touch on, is when Christina seemed to be rooting against Tina.  While I can truly appreciate Christina's will to win, I believe she did get a little caught up in the moment.  

It is really important to remember and appreciate why the game of golf is so special, so unique.  In only this game do fierce competitors call penalties on themselves... even when it matters most.  In only this game do fierce competitors root for one another, as did the duo of Jack Nicklaus & Tom Watson... just so they could have an opportunity to prove to themselves what they are really made of.  Golf has got to where it is today because of what those legends have left behind.  

As competitors, enjoy being pushed harder than you thought you could be pushed, like Nicklaus & Watson.  Love having the opportunity to learn and grow from the good play of your competition... and look forward to future challenges.  If your competition doesn't improve or do their best, then you will never really know what you were truly capable of.  

Each and every day you show up for an event, it could do nothing but good to look forward to your competition bringing everything they have, bringing their “A-Game”, just so you can bring more!

Love the challenge, love to learn, enjoy the process!

I am going to stress this once again... that if the Big Break is watched with the right intention, it could add so much value to a competitive golfer's arsenal.  It truly is a case study on performance, and sports psychology.  I have been studying golf mechanics, golf performance & sports performance intently for the past twenty years of my life, and I take lots of pride in sharing gathered tidbits of information with my students.  Things that I have learned over those twenty years of my career, and things that I feel have taken me just about twenty years to learn.  That is what experience is, right?  Especially in teaching the game of golf.  With age comes experience and knowledge.  The more small things you can pick up over time, the better you become.  A good teacher / mentor is one that can strategically and positively share past experiences or mistakes with a student.  In turn, this will help the student bypass certain mistakes that they otherwise could have made and allow that student to learn at a more rapid pace... potentially saving years.  I can remember when Bob Toski would share things with me that probably took him thirty years to learn, and in turn I learned it in thirty minutes... simply because he was willing to share his experiences.  That is what made him a great mentor.  

With all that being said... as the pressure grows week in and week out for the remaining competitors, let's continue to watch and learn.  Let us continue to be thankful and appreciate that these players have put themselves out there for the entire golfing world to critique.  This type of pressure really is not what those players on the PGA & LPGA Tour face.  Those players hit a few bad shots and more often than not, the TV cameras are actually taken off the player and move to players that are performing better... like the players in the final groupings of the day.  When a player's every single move is watched and critiqued, it is so easy to tear that player apart.  We should instead thank the player for putting themselves out there.  Let's thank them for their courage and watch with the intent of learning from their goods and bads.  

Shattering The Glass -  Looks like about a two foot by two foot square that these girls were firing shots at.  First comment... great way to spend a practice session!  Spending say thirty minutes each week on breaking some glass like this is not only a great way to take out some frustration, but also a great way to improve clubface control and trajectory.

The speed aspect that this challenge entailed was a tough one... but good.  It definitely added a bit of anxiety to the mix and challenged the players.  If I were in a situation that I had to hit a target this small and this low to the ground, I would definitely want a little extra time to take a some extra practice swings.  Not having this extra time available definitely makes the shot more difficult.  It was nice to see some of the players, Sophie for example, really take her time and feel the shot before she hit the shot.  She clearly tried not to rush, and almost removed the time element all together

Three Hole Immunity Challenge -  Anytime you incorporate a team component into the game of golf, it takes a player out of their element.  It's tough!  Not saying it's a bad thing... it's just tough.  Typically it is not something professional golfers are used to.  I would actually have to say that it is good training for most players that have a difficult time focusing on their own game, because that is really the key.  Once a player starts worrying about anything that is out of their control, they are just simply wasting energy... and the player will most likely not perform up to his/her ability.  In being able to perform in a peak performance state, it is critical for a player to be completely and utterly in his or her own little world. A player really should not have any concerns other than what they have control over, and what they are trying to accomplish at that moment in time. 

As for the teams themselves... I really do not think it mattered one way or another.  Every player in the competition has the ability to make birdie and/or par on each of those three holes.  Yes, Dana and Susan made bogie when it mattered most, and they just happened to be on the same team, but that is the nature of the game, and that's the nature of learning the game.  I think the focus in the confessionals afterwords should have revolved around how each player should have been more focused on playing their own game, rather than who was on which team, and who was playing what hole.

Elimination Challenge -  A few really interesting things we should take out of the elimination challenge.  First, do not underestimate a player. I heard some serious chatter coming from the BMW Safety Zone that expressed how much they all should not have underestimated Susan like they had.  Once again... in competition... nobody should ever underestimate anybody.  It is a competitive cardinal sin... bottom line!  Susan is a girl that has been playing competitive golf for five years and has 13 NCAA collegiate wins, one international amateur win and two professional mini-tour wins under her belt... and she is being underestimated.  Word of advice... the less you know about someone the more you should respect them.  

Point number two... experience!  Kim did not have her A game in this competition, that was obvious.  I give her lots of credit though, for she found a way to not come out on bottom.  Susan, and especially Dana, made some serious mistakes by going into, and flirting with, the water hazard like they did.  Even though Kim scored poorly, she did not make huge mistakes.  She took penalty strokes out of play by aiming as far left as she could.  No chance of penalty strokes left, she aimed left.  Dana hit numerous balls into the water in front of the green and it cost her another appearance on the show.  I would say that Dana is an experienced player, but she has been out of competition for some time.  Not feeling the heat of battle week in and week out allows us to sometimes forget the simplest of things.  Just remember though, if you do not feel like you have your A game on a given day, play away from trouble!  Don't try to be a hero!!!

Final point... no matter what game you are playing, match play or medal play, you are still trying to beat the golf course... hole by hole, shot by shot.  Once you start worrying about who did what or how a match stands at any given time, that's when you are in trouble.  I was very proud to hear Susan express how her primary focus in this challenge was to compete against the course.  Good job Susan... control your controllables!

I had a chance to sit down with Susan and ask her a few questions about her Big Break Ka'anapali experience so far... here's a few questions & answers from our discussion: