What Ever Happened to Briana Vega of 'The Big Break'?
Today, Vega is a PGA Professional at a golf club in Florida. Both before and after her appearances on The Big Break, Vega was a touring professional who played on the Symetra Tour and mini-tours.
Vega's 'Big Break' Appearances and Championship
Briana Vega's first time as a Big Break cast member was on Big Break VI, which had an 18-strong cast of golfers evenly split between men and women. Vega emerged as the champion of the women's side, defeating Bridget Dwyer in the championship match.But you can also call Vega the overall Big Break VI winner. Because after their respective championship matches, Vega and men's winner Denny Hepler played a 9-hole skins match, and Vega was the easy winner.
Vega was a popular enough cast member that Golf Channel immediately brought her back for the next season, called Big Break VII: Reunion at Reunion. Originally partnered by Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey, Vega made another deep run: She was the 10th golfer (out of a 16-golfer cast) eliminated.
Big Break VI aired in 2006, and Big Break VII aired in 2007. Vega also made a cameo appearance on Big Break Sandals in 2010.
Before and After 'Big Break' on Tour
Briana Vega played collegiate golf at North Carolina State University. While she did not win an NCAA event while there, she did shoot 68 during the 2004 ACC Women's Championship, which, at that time, was the school record for low round. Bri won her team's MVP award in 2003 and 2004.Her professional career dates to 2004, and along the way she posted five victories on the Suncoast Series Tour, a Florida-based mini-tour. She played her way in, through qualifying, to the U.S. Women's Open in 2004 and 2009. She played full seasons on the Symetra Tour in 2012 and 2013, and made multiple appearances on that circuit in multiple other years.
Vega never earned LPGA Tour status but, as a result of winning Big Break VI, got into two LPGA Tour events in 2007. She missed the cut in both.
Where Bri Vega Is Today
Today, Bri Vega works as an assistant golf professional at the Country Club of Orlando in Florida.Vega stopped pursuing tournament golf after her 2013 Symetra Tour season, when surgery to repair a long-bothersome thumb injury left her with limited mobility in that joint. By then, she had already been working part-time at Country Club of Orlando since 2009. After the injury, Vega completed the work necessary to earn PGA Class A Golf Professional status.
Vega also has a degree in psychology, which she earned in 2004 at North Carolina State University.
In 2018, Vega married Mark Blakefield. Blakefield also has PGA Professional status, and has spent several years with Korn Ferry Tour membership. He has played in PGA Tour events as well as on other tours. Bri has occasionally caddied for him and was on the bag when Mark won on the Mackenzie Tour in 2017.
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