VERO BEACH — Home-grown Vero Beach professional golfer Jackie Stoelting made her debut Monday night on the Golf Channel’s long-standing reality television series “Big Break” and stole the show.
Stoelting, a 27-year-old known at home for her frequent golfing at Meadowood Golf and Tennis Club and Fairwinds Golf course, was a hotshot on Monday’s episode after she sunk a shot from 95 yards away from the pin.
Despite the incredible shot, Stoelting was narrowly edged out for one $2,500 prize, but she did ease her way into the next round of competitions and will appear again on next week’s episode.
This season’s Big Break is set in Florida and consists of 12 female golfers competing in a creative variety of golf challenges to win upwards of $175,000 in cash and prizes, and a chance to play in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
Prior to appearing on “Big Break,” Stoelting had already racked up quite the impressive list of professional accomplishments.
“I was never the standout,” Stoelting said on her video biography. “I was always in the background and worked my way up. So from then on I said, ‘I’m not going to let this happen anymore,’ and really worked on my game.”
According to her bio on GolfChannel.com, Stoelting was an LPGA Tour Rookie in 2014, earned conditional status by finishing T38 (-1) at the 2013 LPGA Qualifying Tournament, and competed in the 2013 Women’s Open at Sebonack, making the cut.
She finished 12 on the 2011 Symetra Tour Money List, and finished 22 on the 2013 Symetra Tour Money List, and had five Top Ten finishes in 2013 on Symetra Tour.
During her college career as a Florida Southern College Moccasin, Stoelting became a two-time NGCA Division II All-American Second Team selection and a member of the winning 2007 NCAA Division II National Championship Team, finishing 11 individually.
New episodes of “Big Break Florida” air Mondays at 9 p.m. on the Golf Channel.
