Greensburg golfer seeking life-changing 'Big Break' on Golf Channel
Brian Skatell is seeking his "Big Break" on Golf Channel. In a way, the Greensburg native already got one.
Skatell, 36, a contestant on the network's "Big Break Prince Edward Island" series, overcame a battle with a life-threatening illness and had surgery only months before the shows were taped.
In 2001, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and had his colon removed. Last March, he found out air was leaking into his abdomen, and doctors thought something had gone wrong from the previous surgery.
"No amount of morphine could touch the pain I was in," said Skatell, a professional who has played on some mini-tours.
Both ordeals led to a weight loss of some 50 pounds, and Skatell had to put golf aside while he healed. But he came back stronger than ever and landed a spot on the show.
"You don't know how hard I've worked," he said.
Although the reality series was taped from Sept. 14-28 in Canada and has long been over, Skatell remains in contention for the $100,000 cash prize for the last player standing. He is not permitted to say if he won or got eliminated.
The third of 11 episodes will air 9 p.m. Monday.
Six women and six men began the grueling journey that can lead to life-changing events for aspiring golfers. Two already have been eliminated.
Players compete in a series of skills challenges in which they seek immunity so they can keep playing.
None of the previous 11 "Big Break" shows has provided a cash prize. The $100,000 will help finance a full year of professional golf.
Skatell's tale piqued the attention of Golf Channel.
"We found his story compelling," said Mark Mitchell, a producer with the network. "And combined with his golf game, he is the type of competitor that has made 'Big Break' a successful series."
Skatell, a fitness buff, said he can never contract colitis again, but he remembers his battle with the bowel disease that hinders millions of Americans.
"It attacks the large intestine," Skatell said. "It was brutal. I had to wear a colostomy bag for three months. It was a serious surgery.
"It's a lot harder than shooting 59."
The experience changed Skatell's mindset about life — and golf.
"If you can get through that, you can do anything," he said. "That's what I want people to understand. Whatever you're suffering from, you can overcome it. Suffering makes you stronger."
Skatell said he was sure to let viewers and fellow contestants know he's from the Pittsburgh area.
"At one point, I look into the camera and say, 'I'm here to win,'" Skatell said. "'I'm from Pittsburgh. And the last time I checked, Pittsburgh was the City of Champions.'"
If you've watched the first two episodes, Skatell may have come across as arrogant — to put it mildly.
Although he is a perfectionist who likes to look good, he can assure you most of what happens on the show is partially an act.
"There's a fine line between confident and cocky," he said. "I just know the way I can play. I expect to hit the shot when it counts. If I don't hit a shot the way I envisioned it, I get upset. Tiger Woods hates when he hits bad shots, too.
"They tried to paint a picture; they made me out to be the villain, the cocky guy," Skatell said. "The bottom line is that I became very good friends with the other contestants and I stayed in contact with them. I was over the top, but that's because of all the ability around me. The girls there could easily beat the men. I made a lot of people laugh with me, not at me."
Skatell, who went to Hempfield High School, grew up playing golf at Greensburg Country Club. He attended Pitt-Greensburg for a short time before deciding business management wasn't for him.
His parents, Jim and Joanne Skatell, own the Shop 'N Save in Hempfield Township and the Save-A-Lot store in Jeannette. Jim Skatell got his son interested in the game when Brian was 11.
When college didn't work out, Skatell moved to Palm Beach, Fla., to work in the golf industry and enter the PGA program.
Several golf jobs later — and now a Class A PGA member — he was smiling for the cameras.
Skatell is working hard on his game and is scheduled to play in an upcoming U.S. Open qualifier. He hopes his pro career can take off this summer.
The "Big Break" winner also gets an endorsement deal with Adams Golf and $10,000 to spend at Dick's Sporting Goods.
"I just hope the remainder of the show starts to portray the real Brian," Skatell said. "I think people are going to start warming up to me."
Additional Information:
Brian Skatell
Age : 36
Hometown : Greensburg
Residence : Virginia Beach, Va.
Home courses : Totteridge Golf Club, Greensburg; Virginia Beach National, Virginia Beach
High school : Hempfield
College : Pitt-Greensburg
Notable : Skatell is one of 10 contestants remaining on 'Big Break Prince Edward Island,' a reality show on Golf Channel. The next show airs 9 p.m. Monday.
