Warsaw's Denny Hepler is still alive and well with three weeks to go in The Golf Channel's nationally televised "Big Break VI: Trump National" competition.

Nine men and nine women started the competition in October. After Tuesday's episode, Hepler - owner of Warsaw's Raccoon Run Golf Course - and Jeff Mitchell, of Frisco, Texas, are the only two remaining male contestants.

On the ladies side, Bridget Dwyer, of Kailua, Hawaii, and Briana Vega, of North Andover, Mass., were the two who made this week's cut.

The show airs at 10 p.m. each Tuesday on The Golf Channel (local Comcast cable channel 67). According to thegolfchannel.com, the concept pits the contestants "against each other in a variety of challenges that test their skills and mental toughness for the right to compete in two Champions Tour and two LPGA Tour events, respectively. One female and one male will be eliminated from the series each week, with the two remaining being crowned Big Break VI: Trump National winners."

"It was just fabulous competition," Hepler, 51, said today of the series so far. "It was gut-wrenching. It was nerve-wracking. It was hair-color changing."

He said despite the competition, he and all the other contestants in the show - which was taped during a two-week period in July - forged lasting friendships.

"I so much miss the rest of the contestants," he said. "Everybody else feels that way, too. We just want to get back together, after seeing all the interview and comments ... We went through a lot together."

Hepler said contestants only slept five or six hours each night. The rest of the time was spent together - competing and doing interviews.

Hepler, who hopes to get back into competitive golf at some level, said being on the show really helped him gain the confidence needed to focus under intense pressure.

"With 11 cameras on you and 80 million people watching each week, it really helped as far as getting back into golf," Hepler said. "You gain strength from this, and confidence. You tell yourself, 'I can hit this shot under extreme conditions.'" he said.

Hepler said he felt equally comfortable in all aspects of the competition, whether it was playing actual holes of golf or performing specialty shots to gain immunity from elimination.

"Paine Stewart and I used to do shot-for-shot things when we were practicing," he said. "Those things came back to me."

Hepler reminisced about a time when he and Stewart hit shots over a hedge in the backyard at Stewart's future wife's home in Australia. The two were practicing for the Australian open at the time.

"We just took turns hitting shots over the hedge" to a target, he said. "Yours is better, you're one-up."

Next week's show will feature the front nine holes of match play, Hepler against Mitchell and Dwyer against Vega. The following week will feature the back nine holes of match play. Those matches will determine the one man and one woman winner of "The Big Break VI: Trump National."

The female champion will receive an exemption into the 2007 SBS Open at Turtle Bay and the 2007 Longs Drugs Challenge, as well as waived entry fees for the 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour season. The winning male contestant will receive exemptions into the 2007 Turtle Bay Championship and the 2007 Bank of America Championship, as well as waived entry fees in six events on the 2007 Heartland Players Senior Tour.

The final week of the show will bring back all 18 original contestants. Hepler couldn't give details of the format, but the group will compete for 50,000 of Donald Trump's dollars and a 2007 Chrysler Aspen.

While Hepler misses the other contestants and the competition, he may not have to miss being around The Golf Channel too much longer.

Hepler said one of the producers called and asked if he could help with some consulting during the upcoming "Big Break VIII." [[In-content Ad]]