Byrne To Play for PGA Tour Exemption In Big Break Indian Wells Finale

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Just one more show to go and it will feature a Titan as former team MVP and four-year letterwinner David Byrne (Essex, Ontario, Canada/Essex) will play for an opportunity of a lifetime as he advanced to the season finale of the Golf Channel's reality television show, Big Break Indian Wells.

“It is definitely a great opportunity and it took a lot of work considering I was last on the money list for pretty much the last five or six shows and I have had to play an elimination challenge quite a few times,” said Byrne.

Fans who missed last night's episode – titled “I'm Not Greedy, I Just Want Your Half” - for more times when Monday's episode as well as others throughout the series will air, click here for the Big Break Indian Wells website. The season finale will air next Monday at 9 p.m. (EST).

The Big Break is a 10-episode series that was shot at Indian Wells Golf Resort in Indian Wells, CA. It started with 11 contestants competing for a chance to earn as much as $55,000 in cash prizes (with bonus money throughout the show, it has moved to a $70,000 pot) as well as the grand prize of receiving an exemption to a 2012 PGA TOUR event, the Zurich classic of New Orleans. Other prizes for the winner include a paid trip for two back to the Indian Wells Golf Resort, an Adams golf endorsement deal, 10,000 cash, and a 10,000 Shopping spree to Dicks Sporting goods.

Episode nine set up the series finale by matching up the four players in a three-hole match-play competition, with the two winners moving onto the final installment of the series.

The show began with the top player on the money list – fellow Canadian Kent Eger – given the choice of playing one of the bottom two players on the list in Byrne or Carl Whyte. He chose Whyte and after being down by three strokes after the first hole, he came back to tie it up and then downed Whyte on the fourth playoff hole. (The fact that it was the fourth playoff hole was edited out, but it was revealed in the Big Break Indian Wells blog).

It was then time for the former Horizon League Player of the Year to shine as his match-play against Will Lowery began on the 14th hole of the Celebrity Course, a 513-yard Par 5.

After his first drive was well right of the fairway, Byrne took control with an amazing second shot. From about 215 yards away, he was able to reach the green setting up an eagle opportunity, but his putt was just long. He would win the hole with a birdie to take a one stroke advantage

“What you don't see on the show was that Will and I had to wait until the first match was over and we did not get a chance to hit balls to warm up,” said Byrne. “We went about four hours since we last warmed up when our match began so I was a bit cold when I hit that opening drive, but I was able to recover with what I called my 'Shot of the Show”.

The next hole was a 440-yard, Par 4 and this time Byrne hit the drive he wanted, which landed to the right of the fairway. Lowery put his drive on the fairway and his second shot on the green about 40 feet away. Byrne was then able to send his second shot over a tree that was in play – some commentary on the show actually thought it clipped the tree - and it settled off the green, setting up a chip opportunity for birdie. That chip nearly went in, but it just lipped out and both players would settle for par.

“I knew that it was better to be left on the hole, even if it was off the fairway, instead of right so I liked the shot I hit,” Byrne explained.

The last hole was played at the 17th hole, a 420-yard Par 4 and this is where Byrne cemented his place in the final. His drive was right on the fairway, while Lowery was well right and off the fairway. Byrne's approach found the green just 20 feet away from the pin. Lowery struggled to find the green leaving Byrne in position to take as many as a three-putt to win and he did just that taking the match and moving just one step closer to playing in a PGA event.

“Kent is a really good player, probably the strongest player on the show,” said Byrne. “It will be cool that it's an all Canadian final. I think that playing in about four or five elimination matches over the course of the show really helped me today.”

If Byrne is able to take out his fellow countryman, it is believed that he would be the first Titan to ever play in a PGA Tour event.