Floyd the one to beat at Skins

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

KOHALA COAST, Hawaii - Raymond Floyd has skinned his fellow seniors alive in recent years.

Tomorrow morning, the veteran golfer will try to win the 11th annual Senior Skins game for a record fifth consecutive time and surpass Jack Nicklaus as the king in the off-season events. Rounding out the famous foursome are Arnold Palmer and Hale Irwin.

Floyd has won $1.52 million in two regular and five Senior Skins appearances. Nicklaus has pocketed $1.595 million in nine regular and eight Senior Skins tournaments. He believes Floyd will be tough to beat in the two-day event.

''The golf course at Mauna Lani is a very pretty golf course, but it is not a particularly long course,'' Nicklaus said in a recent conference call.

''When you get a golf course where Raymond can get room to drive the golf ball and play a lot of wedge shots and the greens are pretty good, Raymond has a tendency to make a lot of birdies.

''He also seems to make the right birdie at the right time the last few years. He has been the winner and the champion, and it is our job to dethrone him.''

That may be a bit easier said than done. Last year, Floyd won eight skins and $210,000 to hold off Nicklaus, who took home $170,000 and five skins. Floyd holds the record for the most money made in one event ($420,000) and the most on one hole ($290,000). Both marks were set in 1995.

His main competition may come from second-year Senior Skins participant Irwin. Nicklaus is fighting a nagging hip injury and Palmer is still recovering from cancer surgery that forced him to miss this event last year for the only time since its inception in 1988.

''I can remember earlier in my career when the goal was to be good enough to get into these events," Floyd said. "I took pride in playing against the top players.

"It's an incredible thrill to play against Jack and Arnold. It's a highly intense competition. There is no format more intense or pressure-packed golf than a skins competition, other than the Ryder Cup.''

Irvin is a relative newcomer to the skins format. He never played in one on the PGA Tour and was a rookie in the Senior Skins Games last year, where he finished third with five skins worth $160,000.

''It's a funny way to play match play. That's essentially what you're playing," Irwin said. "You are trading shot for shot. If you happen to hit the right putt or chip at the right time, you can come away a winner.''

Palmer, who has won $935,000 in this 18-hole event, would like to change all that.

''Certainly, Raymond has done very well,'' Palmer said. ''But when you get guys like Hale Irwin and Jack Nicklaus, you're going to have some pretty good competition for him. Who knows, maybe even I'll be able to sneak a birdie in there and hopefully upset his apple cart.''