Kalins Big Break Disney Golf Dream Ends

In a Big Break Disney Golf episode that began on Main Street U.S.A., Sean Kalin’s (Delray Beach, Fla.) dream of winning the series came to an end. Kalin lost to Blake Moore (Monrovia, Calif.) in a playoff after tying in the elimination challenge to become the fourth player eliminated from the 10-week series. The two competed in a three-location, stroke-play challenge (greenside flop shot/ 130-yard shot/275-yard shot) on the eighth hole at Disney’s Oak Trail Course. Tied at 11 strokes after the third location, Kalin pulled his playoff tee shot left from 275 yards, while Moore hit the green. Unable to match Moore’s three point total, Kalin exited the series.

“Everyone’s goal is to win,” Kalin said. “Realistically, you can’t win in everything you do. Sometimes you have to lose to learn how to win. My kids and family will be proud to see me get this far.”

Considering his past, playing in Big Break Disney Golf was an accomplishment. A talented junior golfer, his future took a drastic turn at the age of 10. He was abducted by his mom and stepfather, who took him to their home in Florida. After several days, he escaped and returned to his home in New York.

What he lost was his desire to play golf.

“After it happened, I decided to stop playing, because in my mind, I believed that I was kidnapped because of the game of golf,” he explained.

Kalin didn’t touch a golf club for more than 10 years, and when he did, in his early 20’s, he only played a few times. On Aug. 19, 2008, his birthday, he played again and immediately decided to pursue professional golf. To reach his goal, he started working with an instructor in the hopes of playing in the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament.

“My goal when I first started was to give myself three years to get to the Nationwide or PGA TOUR,” Kalin said. “I am almost at the one-year point and have accomplished more than I thought I could. I don’t have a backup plan, because you can’t plan on failure. You can just plan on succeeding.”

While his plan failed in Big Break Disney Golf, merely returning to golf has been a successful venture.