Season 23 of Golf Channel’s Big Break reality competition series features an all-male cast of 12 golfers competing in golf skills challenges at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with cash, prizes and a PGA Tour exemption on the line. Big Break The Palm Beaches, FL premieres Monday, Feb. 2, at 9pm ET on Golf Channel.
The cast of Big Break The Palm Beaches, FL from Golf Channel:
George Bryan (27, Chapin, S.C.) – Older brother of fellow competitor Wesley Bryan, George was a three-time All-American at the University of South Carolina and a teammate of Big Break Greenbrier champion Mark Silvers. George is currently competing on mini tours, and has gained popularity with his brother in posting trick shot videos online (Bryan Bros Golf).
Wesley Bryan (24, Augusta Ga. / Chapin, S.C.) – Younger brother of fellow competitor George Bryan, Wesley played collegiate golf at the University of South Carolina and is currently competing on various mini tours.
Brandon Hartzell (27, Charleston, S.C. / St. Paul, Minn.) – Competing on mini tours and working as a caddie at Kiawah Island, Hartzell’s dream to play full time on a professional level has been curtailed by finances and a significant injury to his left hand following an automobile accident in 2010. He played collegiate golf at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., and turned professional following graduation in 2009.
Justin Martinson (26, Savannah, Ga. / Avondale, Pa.) – A graduate of the University of Delaware, Martinson was one of the most successful amateur golfers in Delaware history, recording multiple wins (two-time Delaware Open champion, Delaware Amateur and Philadelphia Amateur champion). An avid junior hockey player growing up, Martinson switched to golf in high school when his family moved to Pennsylvania from California. He recorded his first professional victory in 2011 when he won the Delaware Open and he added to this victory with several others including a win on the Swingthought.com Tour in 2014.
Clay Myers (24, Orlando, Fla. / Memphis, Tenn.) – A member of the four-time Southwestern Athletic Conference championship golf team at Jackson State University, Myers recorded multiple collegiate victories, highlighted by the 20012 individual conference championship title. In funding his golf career, Myers has participated in several Dick’s Sporting Goods commercials and Golf Galaxy catalogs, and also caddied for Cheyenne Woods in 2014.
Tyler Neff (30, Knoxville, Tenn.) – A recent newlywed (married in November), Tyler Neff played collegiately at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and turned professional immediately following graduation in 2008. He holds three course records in Tennessee and is competing full time on mini tours in 2015.
Chad Pfeifer (33, Scottsdale, Ariz.) – An Iraq war veteran who lost his left leg during the Iraq War, Pfeifer learned to play the game of golf while rehabbing in an Army hospital. Crediting golf as saving his life, his goal is to become the first amputee to compete on the PGA TOUR.
Zach Portemont (25, Birmingham, Ala.) –Growing up as a member of a family-owned traveling carnival, Portemont played limited junior golf. Through hard work and dedication, he earned a scholarship to Troy University, ultimately becoming team captain and one of the top players in the Sunbelt Conference. Following graduation in 2011, he has competed on the various mini tours throughout the Southeast.
Robert Rohanna (28, Naples, Fla. / Waynesburg, Pa.) – An Academic All-American from Penn State University, Rohanna grew up playing golf on his family course in Waynesburg, Pa. He earned conditional status on the Web.com Tour for 2015 and also will be competing on PGA TOUR LatinoAmerica.
Tommy Schaff (39, Savannah, Ga.) – The oldest and most experienced competitor on Big Break The Palm Beaches, FL, Schaff has recorded 25 mini tour wins since turning professional in 2002, but finances and injuries have prevented him from reaching the next level.
Kyle Scott (28, Atlanta, Ga. / Johannesburg, South Africa) –Roommates with fellow competitor Richy Werenski at Georgia Tech, Scott is originally from South Africa and was a late bloomer to the game of golf, taking it up at age 17. Scott has conditional status on the Web.com Tour in 2015.
Richy Werenski (23, Bluffton, S.C. / South Hadley, Mass.) – The youngest competitor on Big Break The Palm Beaches, FL, Werenski turned professional immediately following graduation from Georgia Tech in May 2014, winning three of his first five professional events. Teammates with fellow competitor Kyle Scott at Georgia Tech, Werenski also holds three university records. His greatest accomplishment in golf is winning the 2012 Porter Cup and having his name engraved on the same trophy as Phil Mickelson.
Photo: Credit: Mark Ashman/Golf Channel
