Sadekar sparkles on Golf Channel’s ‘Big Break’

When it comes to describing Seema Sadekar, two words jump immediately to mind.

Confidence, of which she has an abundant supply.

And sparkle. Or any derivatives of the word "sparkle." Sparkling, sparkly, sparkle-icious.

That confidence and sparkle likely helped the former UNLV women's golf standout land a spot on the Golf Channel's "Big Break" series -- a reality show that this year awarded the winner a spot in an LPGA Tour event and a European LPGA Tour tournament.

"I found out in mid-December that I'd be on," Sadekar said. "There was an audition at the (Duramed) Futures Tour event in Albany, N.Y., last September. I'd never really been a reality show fan.

"There was a huge line -- every girl out there was in it. My mom and sister said I should go for it. Then I asked a bunch of my friends."

Ultimately, she was persuaded to leave the practice range and get in line.

"I was the last person to audition," she said, adding that the show's staffers were already familiar with the flamboyant Sadekar through Play Golf Designs, a company she and older sister Nisha operate out of Las Vegas. "They were excited when I auditioned.

"And honestly, I knew if I tried out, no questions asked, I knew I'd get on the show. I'm unique, loud on the golf course, obsessed with fashion, and I'm from Las Vegas."

And maybe a little cocky?

"I need to be more cocky if I want to start winning," said Sadekar, who is playing on the Futures Tour again this year, still hoping for the LPGA breakthrough. "But I know how it works (for TV). I'm sparkly and I'm fun, and I love fashion. Why wouldn't they want me on the show?"

Indeed, Sadekar made the cut as one of 11 players for the show's 13th season, which just finished airing earlier this week. After fending off early butterflies, she made it through to the seventh of 11 episodes at the Sandals Emerald Bay resort in the Bahamas.

"Obviously, you're there to win, not there to lay up," the 25-year-old Sadekar said. "But once you're there, oh my gosh, you don't realize the pressure. Then I thought, 'I better make it past the first episode.'

"After I made it past the first episode, I wanted to win it. I was there to look cute, wear fun outfits, and win it for my family and for Las Vegas."

In weeks two and five, Sadekar won eliminations to keep her spot on the show.

"I had the jitters, because you don't want to go after the second show (either)," she said. "It's so hard to stay focused because there's so much going through your head. It's just mentally challenging. 'Big Break' is all mind games."

And though there is certainly a mental aspect to playing successful golf, Sadekar said the pressure of the show went far beyond that.

"It is way more difficult than playing golf," she said. "When you go out and play regular golf, you have to be mentally strong, but there are no mind games. If you banana slice your ball into the trees, you can still chip out and make your par.

"But here (with 'Big Break'), it's more like, 'Sorry, you missed a 20-yard shot. Go sit down.' "

Sadekar made it through Episodes 3 and 4 thanks to save-and-send cards, which allow a player to either be saved for the next show or sent to an elimination challenge.

"Greg Norman saved me on the third episode, and then on the fourth episode, they told us to look under our chairs, and I found a little envelope that had a save-and-send card in it."

Episode 7, unfortunately, marked the end of the line. She went to the elimination round with 24-year-old Sara Brown, a peer on the Futures Tour. The format of the challenge fit Sadekar perfectly.

"We had to play two holes, and I actually liked that, because it's not just one shot. You can kind of make up for a bad shot. But that was my last challenge -- I got eliminated by one stroke. Boo-hoo," she said, emphasizing her disappointment.

"I'm a great player. I'm an amazing player," said Sadekar, who still holds the UNLV and Mountain West Conference single-round record of 66, shot at the 2004 MWC Championships. "On the show, I just wasn't as confident as I would've liked to be. I wasn't hitting it as well as I'd like to."

Fans of "Survivor" can relate to what happened after Sadekar lost the challenge.

"I felt bad, shed a few tears and had to do the walk of shame. I really didn't want to do that. It was sad. I'd never practiced that.

"But ultimately, it was a great experience," said Sadekar, who spent two weeks on location, from Jan. 31-Feb. 14. "I got to spend the rest of the days on the beach in the Bahamas, with all the other girls who'd been eliminated."

She actually needed the downtime, as the show had a demanding schedule.

"It was nonstop. Up every morning at 4:30, (microphone) on by 5:15, get breakfast and filming began, through 11 p.m., even midnight. They were long, strenuous days, but they were fun," she said. "The show was just pure entertainment, and lots of drama, too."

Which was a perfect match for Sadekar, whether she's on or off the course. She and Nisha keep plenty busy with the Play Golf Designs venture (playgolfdesigns.com) -- and not surprisingly, the business has an entertainment peg.

The company helps pair up its clients -- currently 24 professional golfers from women's tours the world over -- with corporate outings, convention tournaments, charity tourneys and even private club events. The idea is to bolster the popularity of the events, while also helping the players supplement their income and perhaps do some networking to raise their profile.

"We just thought, 'Why not create a fun concept where we play in a corporate outing, and get paid for it?' " Sadekar said. "We don't really make that much off of this, and whatever is left over, we invest in the company. My sister is the heart and soul of the company -- she started it to help support me on the Futures Tour."

An offshoot of Play Golf Designs is Minx Golf (minxgolf.com), which, to put it in Sadekar's typical terminology, offers "a lot of sparkly things, fun feminine accessories for women's golfers."

In fact, that venture might lead to a true "Big Break" -- the Sadekar sisters are set to launch a women's golf clothing line in a partnership with Reebok.

"We'll be helping design their 2011 line," she said. "We're really excited about that."

Rest assured, the designs will be nothing short of sparkle-tastic.