Breaking new ground, Big Break style

The Golf Channel's reality show, "The Big Break," breaks out a new format: Girls vs. guys, as the sixth season starts today (7 p.m.) from Donald Trump's Trump National Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates.

The course should be the real star of the show, which runs until Dec. 12. The winner gets $50,000 (supposedly of Trump's money) plus a 2007 Chrysler Aspen SUV ... oh, and some pro event exemptions.
The winning male contestant will receive exemptions into the 2007 Turtle Bay Championship and the 2007 Bank of America Championship, as well as waived entry fees in six 2007 Heartland Players Senior Tour events. The female champion gets an exemption into the 2007 SBS Open at Turtle Bay and the 2007 Longs Drugs Challenge, as well as waived entry fees for the 2007 Duramed Futures Tour season. The exemptions come in most part because The Golf Channel televises those events and has sponsor discretion as to who it can add to the field.

Why to watch this sixth season? The ladies have a former Miss Minnesota in their midst -- 25-year-old Karyn Stordahl-Utecht, who wised up and moved to Indiana, only because she married Indianapolis Colts backup tight end Ben Utecht (although if you go to his official bio on the team's site, there's no mention of this marriage under his personal achievements). There's also a former figure skater and hockey player from Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 26-year-old Laura London. Six others were on the Futures Tour this year, all aged 24 to 26 years old.

The men have ... well, what does it really matter. They're all old enough to be on the 50-plus tour. And despite Trump's claim that he's about a 6 handicap, they all could probably beat him (Trump's a huge cheater).

Here's a short preview of what to expect, including several appearances by big-shot Trump, who must think it can't be a reality show unless he's somehow personally involved.

(UPDATE on Wednedsay AM): Ms. Stordahl-Utecht plays golf about as smoothly as one can pronounce her name. She couldn't get out of a greenside bunker and had problems in deep rough during a closest-to-the-pin challenge. She was the first woman eliminated. Maybe she can caddy through the rest of the series?