Full Court Press
THE silly season took a serious side this weekend at the retooled Skins Game. There’s nothing silly
about Skins GameWhile most of the members of the PGA Tour are taking off this long Thanksgiving weekend, marquee players Tiger Woods, Colin Montgomerie, Greg Norman and Jesper Parnevik played in the $1 million event at the Landmark Country Club in Indio, Calif.
Woods seems to be the one to beat after his $400,000 win at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf last week, but on yesterday's opening nine holes where no one pocketed any money, jet-lag seemed to have Tiger by the tail.
Barely a week ago, Woods was in Japan playing in the World Cup with David Duval. Three of the four Grand Slam finalists at Poipu Bay on Kauai were in Japan, but only Woods left the island chain in a hurry Wednesday to play in this weekend's 18th annual event.
In the past, golfers lucky enough to be in the Skins' famous foursomes had the opportunity to pad their yearly earnings on the roll of a single putt. A new rule in this year's competition doesn't allow someone to steal six skins or so on a single hole.
Instead, not only does a golfer have to win a hole outright, he must validate it by either winning or tying on the next hole. No one was able to turn that trick yesterday, leaving a nice $300,000 carry-over to today's 10th hole.
But as exciting as that is for the viewer, the good thing is each golfer is playing for a 9-11-related charity with all the winnings going directly into some needy pockets.
True, the PGA Tour donates millions every year through various programs on local and national levels. The cash raised is often a difference-maker for the charities that benefit from the Tour's efforts to give something back. And this weekend's lucrative prize will certainly help in the cause.
WHAT MAKES IT even better is everyone sees what these individuals are doing on a personal level. A cynic would say they can afford it. And obviously, they can many times over. But just because someone has a lot of money doesn't always mean they give it away.
While Woods is a Skins Game lock until he joins the Seniors Skins in 2026, Norman, Parnevik and Montgomerie won't always play a part in this million-dollar show. Their chances of walking off a green with a half-a-million bucks in tow are limited.
The fact Norman, Montgomerie and Parnevik are from foreign countries makes their potential donations more special still. In this silly season, it's good to see a golfer from Scotland, another from Sweden and the man from Down Under willing to show their serious sides.
Paul Arnett has been covering sports
for the Star-Bulletin since 1990.
Email Paul: parnett@starbulletin.com.