Personal:

Age: 39
Residence: Leamington Spa, England
Occupation: Pub Manager/Golf Professional
Marital Status/Children: Single/1
Hobbies: Squash, movies, reading
Nickname: Blade

Experience:

Home Golf Course: Kenilworth Golf Club
Collegiate Golf Experience: None
Amateur/Pro: British Amateur Champion in 1996; played The Masters in 1997; plays on Europro Tour

Profile - Warren Bladon:

As the oldest and most experience member of the European team, Warren Bladon is hoping to resurrect a golfing career that nearly vanished when real life got in the way.

This 1996 British Amateur Champion picked up the game at 13 when his father brought him along for a round of golf. Bigger than most kids his age, he became obsessed with using his size to hit the ball as far as he could.

From then on, golf became something he would teach himself by spending countless hours playing during school breaks and mimicking professional players he would see on TV.

At 16, he had established a -2 handicap, which he turned into a +2 one year later. He represented by his local club and country at various competitions and played with some of the best in the game.

By winning the British Amateur, Warren automatically received an invitation to play in the 1997 Masters, a tournament he had watched on television for more than 20 years and ? at 30 years old ? one in which he longed to play. He calls the experience the best of his life.

During the tournament, he was paired with Arnold Palmer in Round 1 and Raymond Floyd in Round 2, but likes to recall a practice round with Jack Nicklaus most often.

"Mr. Nicklaus was very friendly and helpful, relating his experiences at Augusta and educating me on pin placements and other things," Warren said. But the busy week was catching up to him and at the turn ? and to Nicklaus? surprise ? he decided to quit for the day, a move that friends and family tease him about to this day.

"Nobody can believe I had a best player in the history of the game as my playing partner and I gave up after nine holes," he said. "He was gracious, but it's no wonder he had a confused look on his face. But I was tired!"

The match-ups with Nicklaus, Palmer and Floyd were not Warren's only brushes with golfing celebrity. He also has played practice rounds with Nick Price and Woody Austin and once took £10 off Greg Norman after a match.

Currently, Warren is juggling work with trying to resurrect his form on the course. Having only played in two tournaments so far in 2005 on the Europro Tour ? missing the cut in one and finishing 31st in the other ? he feels his game is coming around and looks forward to "The Big Break IV" competition.

"Just being part of a competition is what we all play for," he says, "but with an opportunity to play on tour makes it so much bigger."