In a season that started with 12 competitors, Golf Channel's Big Break Greenbrier reality competition series has narrowed the field to the final two - James Lepp and Mark Silvers - who will meet for an intense and dramatic 18-hole singles match on the season finale, Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
Lepp and Silvers will compete for the opportunity to make their lifelong dreams of playing alongside the world's top golfers a reality. The winner of Big Break Greenbrier on Tuesday will receive an invitation to compete in the 2013 Greenbrier Classic on the PGA TOUR (July 4-7) and $50,000 in cash - one of the biggest prizes in the series' 18-season history. The winner also will receive an endorsement contract from Adams Golf, which includes an additional $10,000 in cash; a $10,000 shopping spree from Dick's Sporting Goods and a $10,000 car rental credit courtesy of Avis Car Rental.
The finalists are:
James Lepp (28, Abbotsford, British Columbia) - A two-time winner on the Canadian Tour and a four-time All American from the University of Washington, Lepp is returning to competitive golf in 2012 after burning out on the game and switching to the business side of golf, when he founded Kikkor Golf, a golf shoe apparel company. Lepp is testing himself on Big Break Greenbrier to see if his passion for competitive golf returns.
Mark Silvers (25, Savannah, Ga.) - One of the more accomplished competitors on Big Break Greenbrier, Silvers competed in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, accumulated more than 15 wins on various mini tours in 2011, and recorded 10 top-10 finishes and one win on the NGA Pro Series Tour in 2012. He is competing on Big Break with a heavy heart, as his father - who introduced him to the game at a young age - passed away just prior to filming the series.
Immediately following the conclusion of the season finale, the entire cast will reunite for the first time since the series concluded taping this summer. Hosted by Stephanie Sparks and
Tom Abbott, Big Break Greenbrier - Reunion will take place before a live audience at
Pat O'Briens at Universal Orlando CityWalk. The special features open and candid discussions on various topics and situations that occurred during the taping of the series.
The reunion special also will reveal the winner of the Big Break Greenbrier Fan Favorite Poll, a season-long online poll where fans and viewers voted for their favorite competitor on the series.
Produced at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia - the historic retreat known as "America's Resort" - Big Break Greenbrier showcases golfers competing each week in various golf-related skills challenges, with the ultimate winner receiving his "Big Break" - an exemption to the 2013 Greenbrier Classic on the PGA TOUR, cash and other prizes.
Big Break Greenbrier unfolds on the resort's four golf courses: The Old White TPC Course - home to the PGA TOUR's The Greenbrier Classic; The Greenbrier Course - a Jack Nicklaus design and home to the 1979 Ryder Cup and the 1994 Solheim Cup; The Meadows Course - a Dick Wilson and Bob Cupp design that is often referred to as the most scenic of The Greenbrier courses; and The Snead Course - the private residents' course and a Tom Fazio design that showcases a remarkable test of strategic tee shots, precision approaches and undulating fast greens. During the series, the competitors will reside in two deluxe, 3,000-square-foot timber-framed homes in The Greenbrier Sporting Club luxury residential community, located 3,300 feet atop Greenbrier Mountain.
The Big Break show concept pits highly skilled golfers against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness. During Big Break Greenbrier, one contestant is eliminated each week, with the last player standing awarded his Big Break, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on the PGA TOUR at The Greenbrier Classic in July 2013.
Past Big Break champions have won tournament exemptions to compete on some of the world's top professional circuits, including the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Web.com Tour and Canadian Tour. Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey, Big Break VII: Reunion champion and PGA TOUR professional, captured his first PGA TOUR victory in 2012 at The McGladrey Classic, and Big Break Ireland champion
Mark Murphy made the cut in both of his 2012 events on the European Tour he received as a result of winning the series (Trophee Hassan II and The Irish Open).
Several other past Big Break competitors are currently competing on the world's top tours, including Matt Every (PGA TOUR), James Nitties (Web.com Tour), and Kim Welch,
Nicole Smith, Gerina Piller, Kelly Jacques, 2011 Solheim Cup team member Ryann O'Toole and 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team member Kristy McPherson (LPGA Tour).
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