There is no doubt Don Donatello is the most outwardly intense competitor on The Big Break VII: Reunion. He is also one of the easiest to rattle and has no peer when it comes to obsessing about anything. As the clich goes, he can make coffee nervous.
So it is good for Donatello that his position in the series is more secure than the remaining eight Big Breakers after winning the Ultimate Immunity Challenge. The victory was worth either $5,000 or a one-time immunity that can be used at any point until the competition is whittled down to four players. That means at any time he can use the immunity and has a free pass to the following show.
It will be a tough decision in the coming episodes, perhaps even as difficult as it was for the Sanford, Fla. resident to win the Challenge.
In the face of speculation of what he will do with the prize, Donatello sidesteps predictions. Instead, he chooses not to worry about the ramifications of his victory.
They are the ones who should be worried, said the man who once caddied on the PGA TOUR for Chris DiMarco. Im in control of everything and this thing is mine to lose.
The remaining contestants are still competing for the grand prize. If one of the male professionals is victorious, then he will earn a spot in the field of the 2007 Cox Classic on the Nationwide Tour. Should one of the females claim the title, then she will be invited to compete in the 2007 Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika on the LPGA Tour.
An additional development in the episode was that the team alliances were disbanded and players will compete as individuals for the remainder of the series. Prior competitions in The Big Break VII were team events with the losing teams going to an Elimination Challenge. Once there, teams were split and males competed against males and females took on other females.
The Ultimate Immunity Challenge consisted of three stages in which two competitors were eliminated after each of the first two contests. Points from each competition would carry over and the individual with the most points won the Immunity. After a driving and a short game challenge, Donatello and Laura London were tied at eight points with Pam Garrity one behind and Ashley Gomes three off the pace.
The final portion of the challenge was stroke-play on the par-5 first hole at the Watson course at Ginn Reunion Resort. Each player was awarded points for their score: 10 for double eagle, six for eagle, four for birdie, and two for par. No points were awarded for a bogey while a double bogey or worse was a deduction of two points from the individuals total score.
In the final match, Donatello was pushed by Gomes and not London, who hooked her second shot into a bush that led to an eventual double bogey. Gomes reached the green in two shots setting up the possibility of an eagle. After a two-putt birdie to finish with nine points, Donatello made a three-foot putt for victory to justify his strategy of laying up on the hole.
The Big Break concept pits highly skilled golfers against each other in challenges that test physical skills and mental toughness. During The Big Break VII, competitors will be eliminated with the last one standing crowned the winner. Each show features two to three challenges, the outcome of each influencing who stays and who goes home. Each challenge will demand precision shot-making designed to simulate conditions that players face every week on Tour.
As important as the Ultimate Immunity is Donatello, he avoided being beaten by both females and his former partner Gomes.
I know Don respects all of our games but there is a part of him that thinks there is no way he is going to get beat by a girl, said Bri Vega, who is still a contestant on the series and a friend of Gomes.
In episode six, Donatello was correct that no female, or male for that matter, was going to beat him. But even with the Ultimate Immunity in hand, no one is safe on The Big Break VII.
Related links:
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
