Thursday, Danielle Amiee (photos) steps to the tee at the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, one of her rewards for winning "The Big Break III."

It will be the first LPGA appearance for Amiee, but not her first competitive pro event. Amiee has played close to 30 Futures Tour events; before that, her amateur career included 22 collegiate tournaments for Long Beach State. What does Amiee's competitive track record say about her chances at the LPGA Michelob Ultra?

Let's take a closer look at Danielle's history, and also hear some of her comments about "The Big Break III" experience.

Amiee's tee time for the first round on Thursday is 12:55 p.m. ET. She'll be playing with Emily Bastel and Shani Waugh.

In an interview with futurestour.com, Amiee described her "Big Break" experience: "I was misunderstood from the start. I'm comfortable in my own skin, but I think some people thought I was picked because of hormonal needs - that I was this little Barbie-style golfer. If I had gotten kicked off the show early, it would have been like 'See, we told you she doesn't belong.' A lot of people didn't want to give me a chance."

But Amiee did get a chance, and she took advantage of it, besting Pamela Crikelair in the 18-hole championship match. Amiee's testy relationship with Crikelair (and other contestants) drove much of the drama of the series, something Amiee termed "disturbing."

"How did I draw the shortest straw to become the villain?" Amiee asked during her interview with futurestour.com. "The editing made me look so cocky. It was disturbing, but it was good drama."

What would be even better drama is Amiee performing well in her LPGA appearances (in addition to Kingsmill, Amiee will be in the field at the LPGA Corning Classic later this month). Does she have a chance to post good scores, and maybe even make the cut?

In 2004 at Kingsmill, it took 145 (3-over par) to make the cut. A pair of 73s didn't get it done.

Amiee's game has improved tremendously since her college days at Long Beach State, where she played as Danielle Skinner (prior to attending LBSU, Amiee played on the men's golf team at Cypress Junior College in California).

In 1996, Amiee played 24 rounds for LBSU with a stroke average of 87.25; her low round was 79, her high round 96 (9 of 24 rounds were in the 90s). Those scores may appear high, but they are fairly typical for women's collegiate golfers who are, first, not the "A" golfer for their team, and second, not playing at one of the top handful of women's golf programs in the NCAA.

In 1997, Danielle dropped her scoring average to 80.90 for LBSU, shooting only one round in the 90s and posting a low of 76. In 1998, her scoring average was 83.73 with a low round of 78.

Amiee turned pro in 1999 and joined the Futures Tour in 2000. She played 14 events in 2000 and 11 in 2001. She was off the tour in 2002 and 2003, played two events in 2004, and has not played any in 2005 (her status - F - is the lowest priority for entry into tour events).

In 14 Futures Tour events in 2000, Amiee made four cuts with a scoring average of 78.38. Her low round was 73. In 11 events in 2001, she again made four cuts, with a scoring average of 76.73. Her low round was 71.

The two Futures Tour events Amiee played in 2004 are the most important for gauging her chances at Kingsmill, since they are the most recent professional scores we have to look at.

In her first 2004 event, Danielle missed the cut with rounds of 75-76. She withdrew with injury from another tournament, then played the Futures Tour Q-School tournament. There she posted a first-round 71 before falling back with a 77. After a third-round 83, she missed the cut.

So the odds certainly appear against Danielle in her LPGA tournaments. Rather than wondering whether she has a shot at making the cut, I'm left wondering if she will be able to break 80. The talent is there, but the nerves will be there, too. Amiee has never faced this much attention, and given the way she presented herself - and was presented by the "Big Break III" producers - during the series, she is probably feeling even more pressure.

My prediction: Aimee shoots 82-79. The deck is stacked against her going much lower than that, but it's certainly possible she could go higher. If she posts something like 78-75, it will be a major accomplishment.

Your Prediction: Vote in the poll - What will Danielle Amiee shoot in the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open?

See Also:
• Danielle Amiee pictures
• "Big Break III" homepage on About.com

Photos courtesy of The Golf Channel and the Futures Tour

Note: Many people are searching for info using the name "Danielle Aimee" (it's actually spelled "Amiee"). We're putting this note here just to make sure that those folks are able to find this article.