un•pre•dict•a•ble
/??npri’dikt?b?l/
Adjective 1.Not able to be predicted.
2.(of a person) Behaving in a way that is not easily predicted.
Synonyms
unforeseeable - incalculable
Noun
Chad Schulze
As this life we live consistently proves to be, unpredictability is reality. We think we have a plan. We think we have it all figured out. But the fact of the matter is, no matter how much of a game plan you have, life has an uncanny way of throwing a wicked curve ball on a 3-2 count every so often and you’re left there standing with the bat on your shoulder. It’s how you recover from these moments that ultimately send you back on the track you initially intended. The same can be said about how one handles themselves during a round of golf, or in this case, a day of challenges on the 1st competition day of Big Break Mexico.
Welcome back to the headier side of Big Break and another installment of my (Brendan Havens, Big Break Senior Producer), incoherent thoughts and ramblings as it concerns to this week’s premiere of Big Break Mexico.
When casting a season of Big Break, there’s always a certain level of unpredictability. In most cases, all we have to go off of are the shots we see hit during the audition and the answers they give during the interview section of the audition process. Outside of that, our only gauge of skill level are a player’s record in mini tour events, state opens, or whatever they put on their application. However, over the course of the last 10 years, (click here for more insight on that staggering number), we’ve been able to very accurately predict what certain people will bring to the table, based on a written application, a series of golf swings and a 15 minute interview. Every season though, it seems like there’s at least one person we cast that has us guessing about what we’re exactly gonna get up until the moment they arrive and start hitting golf shots in competition. There’s a couple who fit the bill on this cast, but none more so than Chad Schulze.
When Chad showed up for his audition in Orlando, he was immediately put on our radar. There are just certain personalities that stand out immediately, before they even get to the check in table. Chad was one of those guys. Now, what can be really tricky with people who show up with that many quirks and that much personality, is they’re usually not highly skilled golfers. I hate to say it, but for the most part, really good golfers are not usually cut out for reality TV because they’re traditionally very even keeled and…well…boring. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, this isn’t a blanket statement by any means, (as past seasons of Big Break have illustrated), but I’ve been involved in the golf biz long enough to gather a pretty significant sample size. It makes perfect sense, though. To play this maddening game at a high level, on a consistent basis, it takes a very even keeled, patient human being. So, once Chad’s audition began, I kept a pretty close eye on how he was hitting the ball.
Seeing as though his swing was very technically sound and he had no problem hitting very solid golf shots in front of a camera with a handful of people looking on, we did a little research on what he’s done in his golf career once we got back to the Golf Channel Studios the next day. This is when things began to enter into unpredictable territory. Not much at all about his golfing career really existed anywhere. We saw that he was inducted into the Millersville College Hall of Fame, but outside of what we saw at his audition, that was about it. But, damn his audition was good. So, it was at that point, Chad immediately turned into a bit of a “hit and hope” pick for the cast.
As you all saw last night, Team Aztec, understandably, put Chad to the test by choosing to play against him in the Strike Challenge. He was largely unproven, looked shaky as the day progressed and appeared to be the best option for them to have success in avoiding that dreaded Strike. With that decision, Chad did the unexpected and birdied both holes, overcoming a ½ stroke deficit and shocked Team Aztec. It now remains to be seen how this reversal of fortune works out, not only for McKenzie and Team Aztec, but also for Chad and Team Maya. It’s how you handle the results of these unpredictable moments that ultimately send you on the track you initially intended…and this was about as unpredictable as it gets.
