Skins game
A skins game is a golf event in which players compete for prize money on each individual hole. There is an annual skins game for male professional golfers which takes place in November and December each year after the end of the official PGA Tour season. It is recognised by the PGA TOUR but does not count towards the official money list. It is currently sponsored by Merrill Lynch and is officially known as the Merrill Lynch Skins Game.
The Skins Game differs from most PGA TOUR golf tournaments for several reasons. Only four golfers are invited to the tournament and the golfers play to win individual holes or "skins" in a match play format. Each hole is assigned a different monetary value and the golfer who wins the hole with the best score outright wins the money for that hole. In the event that two or more golfers tie (which is called "halving") on a hole, the skins carry over to the next hole. In the event that two or more golfers halve the final hole, a playoff begins until one golfer wins a hole outright.
In 2001, the player winning a hole outright had to tie or win the next hole to collect his skins from the previous hole. This was very tough to do. Greg Norman was the only one that could back up his win on the previous hole. He won the 17th and tied for low on the 18th hole to collect $800,000, the largest skin collected for one hole. He won the $200,000 in a playoff to win the entire $1 million dollar prize money.
For example, in the 2004 Skins Game, the first six holes were worth US$25,000 apiece, seven through 12 were worth $50,000, 13 through 17 were worth $70,000 and the 18th hole, known as the Super Skin is worth $200,000.
Fred Couples is nicknamed "Mr. Skins" because of his dominance in the Skins Game. He has won $3,515,000 and 77 skins in 11 appearances. He has won five of the Skins Games overall.
Previous Skins Game results
| Year Played | Winner | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Gary Player | $170,000 |
| 1984 | Jack Nicklaus | $240,000 |
| 1985 | Fuzzy Zoeller | $255,000 |
| 1986 | Fuzzy Zoeller | $370,000 |
| 1987 | Lee Trevino | $310,000 |
| 1988 | Ray Floyd | $290,000 |
| 1989 | Curtis Strange | $265,000 |
| 1990 | Curtis Strange | $225,000 |
| 1991 | Payne Stewart | $260,000 |
| 1992 | Payne Stewart | $220,000 |
| 1993 | Payne Stewart | $280,000 |
| 1994 | Tom Watson | $210,000 |
| 1995 | Fred Couples | $270,000 |
| 1996 | Fred Couples | $280,000 |
| 1997 | Tom Lehman | $300,000 |
| 1998 | Mark O'Meara | $430,000 |
| 1999 | Fred Couples | $635,000 |
| 2000 | Colin Montgomerie | $415,000 |
| 2001 | Greg Norman | $1,000,000 |
| 2002 | Mark O'Meara | $405,000 |
| 2003 | Fred Couples | $605,000 |
| 2004 | Fred Couples | $640,000 |