Warsaw's Denny Hepler blew a 5-up front-nine lead in regulation, but birdied the first playoff hole to win the "Big Break VI: Trump National."

"Relief" is the word Hepler, owner/PGA pro at Raccoon Run Golf Course, used to describe how he felt after sinking the winning put.

He said friends and colleagues put a lot of light-hearted pressure on him all week following his stellar performance last week on the front nine.

"If I'd have missed that ... Hey, I had death threats, people threatening to pull my IHSAA (officiating) card if I blew that lead," he joked.

"I blew the lead," he said, but quickly added he was able to regroup and put together solid back-to-back shots and a true-rolling putt for the win.

"It played out great for The Golf Channel," he said.

Hepler won exemptions into two Champions Tour events: the 2007 Turtle Bay Championship and the 2007 Bank of America Championship. He also was awarded waived entry fees into six events on the 2007 Heartland Players Senior Tour.

In addition, Adams Golf presented him with an Adams Golf endorsement contract and NetJets, the worldwide leader in private aviation, donated five hours of flight time.

Hepler, who had back surgery for a bone spur and herniated disc a month after the filming, said he struggled with pain throughout the Big Break VI.

The 18-hole match was no exception.

"It was a long day. It took eight hours to film it and we filmed it all in one day," he said.

"You didn't see it on TV, but I did a lot of sitting between shots. I was really hurting. I knew I was going to fade (throughout the match) as far as hitting the ball," he said. "Fortunately, I was able to hang on for the win."

Another factor in Hepler's struggle was a lack of familiarity with the golf course.

"We hadn't played all those holes. Nothing felt comfortable. There was no practice round," he said.

A practice round would have given the players some insight into the speed and contour of the greens, but, "We just didn't have our bearings. We didn't really know the ups and downs of the greens," Hepler said.

"With the ocean on one side and the mountains and hillside on the other, it was hard to get a feel of uphill or downhill," he said. "We all struggled with it."

Hepler was 5-up after nine holes and appeared to be headed for a lopsided victory.

His opponent was Jeff Mitchell, of Frisco, Texas.

Mitchell got Hepler's attention right away by winning the first three holes on the back nine, closing Hepler's advantage to 2-up with six to play.

Hepler lipped out a put on 12 that would have halved the hole and preserved a 3-up lead.

After halving hole 13, Hepler got back to a to 3-up lead after a par on No. 14.

Mitchell came right back with a birdie to win the par-3 15th hole.

The players both made par on 16 and Hepler stood over a five-footer on 17 to halve the hole.

If he makes the putt, he wins the match 2 and 1. Instead, he missed the put, losing the hole to Mitchell and shrinking his lead to 1-up with only the 18th hole to play.

"The pressure was on me not to lose it," Hepler said during the telecast. "I had this thing halfway in my pocket all day and it was starting to fall out onto the ground. I was playing not to lose."

Hepler's putter let him down again on 18. His three-put bogey gave Mitchell the hole, squared the match and forced the playoff.

On the playoff hole, Mitchell's tee shot bent far right. Hepler found the fairway and never looked back, hitting a solid second shot on the green and stroking the birdie putt to seal the deal.

"I hit it dead solid and halfway there it was tracking," Hepler said on the show of the winning putt. "What a relief."

The show certainly has opened some doors for Hepler with regard to his golf career.

Hepler said he is going to try to expand his relationship with The Golf Channel. Producers already have suggested he may have a consulting role in his future.

"I'm going to go down to The Golf Channel in two weeks. I'm trying to get my foot in the door. I'd love to work with The Golf Channel. It's definitely something I'm going to pursue," he said.

Hepler's also going to try to get more exemptions on the Champions Tour.

"I'll be writing to all the tour event sponsors," he said. He hopes at least some of them might be interested in having him in the field at their event.

"I'm sure the sponsors watch The Golf Channel. Then know the fans watch. Maybe it (having Hepler in the event) will help bring in the fans," he said.

The Big Break golf reality show, which was filmed during a two-week period in July, has been airing each Tuesday night over the past 11 weeks.

The show had nine men and nine women competing against each other in a variety of challenges to test their golf skills and mental toughness.

On next week's final episode, Hepler and female winner Briana Vega, of North Andover, Mass, will be joined by the 16 eliminated contestants to compete for $50,000 cash and a 2007 Chrysler Aspen.

Vega won 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 along with the perks from Adams Golf and NetJets.

Each winner also received a $1,000 McDonald's Arch Card. [[In-content Ad]]