VIDEO: Former USU golfer featured on Reality TV show
Big Break Myrtle Beach -- Season: 22 -- Pictured: Christopher "Toph" Peterson - (Photo by: Cy Cyr/Golf Channel)
Big Break Myrtle Beach -- Season: 22 -- Pictured: Christopher "Toph" Peterson - (Photo by: Cy Cyr/Golf Channel)
Golf vs. Southern Utah
Golf vs. Southern Utah
When given an opportunity to showcase his golf skills, Toph Peterson became concerned he did not put his best foot forward.
Peterson felt like he was not at the top of his game while auditioning for a spot on “Big Break: Myrtle Beach” – a Golf Channel TV series. The former Utah State golfer had laid sick in bed for 2 1/2 weeks with a flu bug followed by pneumonia. It affected how he hit the ball and Peterson became concerned his illness had sabotaged the audition.
“To be honest, I was not expecting a call,” Peterson said. “I thought I did well on the interview. But I was probably hitting the ball 30 yards short of what I was used to because I had no strength.”
Peterson showed enough promise that day to secure a spot on “Big Break: Myrtle Beach,” which premieres on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. (MDT) on the Golf Channel.
The Logan native was one of 12 golfers nationwide – six men and six women – chosen to compete on the show.
All 12 golfers will compete against one another for the chance to potentially play in a PGA Tour or LPGA Tour event. The winner of the competition will receive more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. They will also earn full exempt status to the 2015 NGA Pro Golf Tour or the 2015 Symetra Tour. Finally, the show winner also receives an exemption to the 2015 Valspar Championship or the 2015 Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour.
Peterson has plenty of supporters in Cache Valley who like his chances. Utah State men’s golf coach Dean Johansen thinks competing on “Big Break: Myrtle Beach” will give Peterson’s pro golfing career a much needed boost.
“This will be a great kick start for him,” Johansen said. “It will snowball into something – I don’t know what. But it’s exciting. There’s a good buzz around town. Everybody is excited for him.”
Peterson started playing competitive golf at age 13. Competing with other golfers on a reality show offered an experience unlike any other during his playing days in high school or at Utah State.
He woke up at 4:30 a.m. each day and spent several hours on camera. Peterson typically got about three to four hours of sleep per night while at Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach.
“It was really intense,” Peterson said. “You get eight cameras on you every time you hit a shot. There’s a lot of sitting. It’s a big production, so you’re sitting and you’re waiting. You probably let it get in your mind a little more than you probably should because you sit and watch other people hit shots. You’re seeing their results and you know what you have to beat. It just gives you a lot more time to sit and stew over what’s about to happen.”
Being on the show is another unexpected turn in Peterson’s golf career. He quit playing golf for a short time after his freshman season with the Aggies. A chance meeting and conversation with Johansen convinced Peterson to give the sport a second chance.
When he came back, Peterson went from a kid uncertain of his direction in life to a golfer who became a clutch contributor for Utah State during the rest of his college career.
“180 degree difference,” Johansen said. “I think he realized what he had. He was lucky enough to lose it once and then get a second chance. He realized how much he enjoyed it and looked at the opportunity he had again.”
Peterson is taking steps to revive his golfing career a second time. He took time off from creating a designer walking bag company, which will launch in October, to show what he can do before a national audience.
Now he hopes it will be enough to show he can make as a pro golfer.
“I just hope I put myself in a good light and I hoped it showed that I can actually play a little bit of golf,” Peterson said. “Hopefully, some sponsors and some doors and some avenues open up and I can continue to chase my dream.”