Former Titan David Byrne To Compete On Golf Channel's Reality Show "Big Break"

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Former Titan David Byrne will be showcasing his skills in prime time as the 2010 Horizon League Player of the Year was chosen to compete on the Golf Channel's hit reality television show, Big Break.

“It was a great opportunity and a dream come true to be on the show,” said Byrne. “I have been a fan of the show ever since it came out and to get a chance to audition and make it was such an exciting and great experience.”

The 2011 series will take place at Indian Wells Golf Resort in Indian Wells, CA. The 10-episode series was shot in early January and will debut on the Golf Channel on May 16, with the series opener slated for 9:30 p.m. The series will feature 11 contestants with different professional and amateur backgrounds competing for a chance to earn as much as $55,000 in cash prizes as well as the grand prize of receiving an exemption to a 2012 PGA TOUR event.

Each competitor will begin with $5,000 and the objective is to win each other's earnings on the golf course and to be the last man standing to take home the grand prize. The show will put the 11-man field against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness, with one contestant being eliminated each week until there is a champion.

“It is not just about playing golf, it's about hitting shots and it can get pretty nerve racking,” Byrne said. “When you play a round of golf, you can hit several bad shots and still have a great round at the end, but on the show, two or three bad shots for anyone and you could be done.”

The series was shot at Indian Well's two golf courses, the Celebrity and the Players Course. 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, Nationwide Tour and Canadian Tour. Current contestants competing with Byrne include the likes of Robert Floyd - the son of PGA Tour great Raymond Floyd - Hernan “Piri” Borja - son of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Soccer team captain Chico Borja- and Oren Geri - the top-ranked amateur and professional golfer from Israel.

“I definitely think that I brought something to the table with my age, just being out of college, being Canadian and playing at Detroit. I think all of that helped me get on the show and my experiences playing at Detroit was an asset during the entire process,” added Byrne.

Byrne enjoyed one of the finest careers in the history of the Titan program as well as in the Horizon League. He was just the second Titan to be selected All-League in all four years as well as just the second golfer in school history to earn three Horizon League All-Tournament honors. He was tabbed HL Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2007 after winning the conference championship, and then rounded out his career as the league's Player of the Year in 2010.

He was twice selected an All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America and also took home the 2010 President's Award as UDM's most-outstanding senior student-athlete. A three year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he also served as the president as a senior and was captain of the men's golf team, graduating last May with a 3.56 GPA as a History major.

Courtesy of P.J. Gradowski, Detroit Sports Information