Palmer feels the pain

WAILEA, Maui » Arnold Palmer may be close to shutting it down for good, but his playing partners at The Wendy's Champions Skins Game hope he doesn't do anything rash.

Palmer was shut out at yesterday's made-for-TV event for the third time in four years. There were eight holes he didn't finish and by day's end, he looked more like Quasimodo than the king of golf.

When he just missed a long putt at the 18th worth $100,000, the large gallery groaned as one. Even with his constant struggles, it was obvious the 75-year-old was the one most had come to see.

"I played poorly and I didn't putt well," Palmer said during the trophy presentation. "I wish I could have played better. It was frustrating."

This is the third weekend Palmer has competed in Hawaii. He played in the MasterCard Championship on the Big Island and last week at the Turtle Bay Championship. Prior to the first full-field event on the Champions Tour on Oahu, he married longtime friend Kit Gawthorp in a private ceremony. She followed him for 18 holes yesterday and seemed to feel every step of his pain.

Craig Stadler, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus were clearly longer off the tee. On one drive, Palmer was 78 yards behind his competitors, a stat he knows he must improve on if he's to keep playing competitively.

"I've got to get longer off the tee," Palmer said at Turtle Bay. "I'm close to making a decision. I don't want to keep playing like this."

Stadler said he enjoyed playing with Palmer. When Palmer was Stadler's age, the Walrus was all of 27, so his opportunities to compete with Palmer have been limited.

"You had three legends and myself," Stadler said. "I don't think of myself as a legend. I'd play with Arnold every day of the week. I just love playing with him, love being around him."

Nicklaus has known Palmer for 50 years, dating back to their first golf excursion when the Golden Bear was only 14.

"I think you would have to ask Arnold," when a reporter quizzed Nicklaus on Palmer's future. "I think Arnold is playing golf fine, but there's just no way he's going to be able to compete. He knows that. This is the kind of event where all you need is the kind of shot I hit at nine. All of a sudden you've won $130,000. You can compete.

"But Arnold didn't have anything like that happen today. He usually does. But he's shorter off the tee than he's ever been by a long way. I bet he's lost 30 to 40 yards in the last year. That's what it looks like."

Watson also believes the decision rests with Palmer. He doesn't want to see the king exit the stage until he's ready.

"The game still has room for Arnold Palmer," Watson said. "The other sports have room for it, but you can't do the work. You can't play basketball at 75. But you can still ply your trade in golf. I'd love to see Arnold keep playing for as long as he believes he can."

No bonus holes: For only the fourth time in 18 previous senior skins events and the first time since 2002, no extra holes were needed to divvy up the $600,000. Last year, Watson needed three extra holes before eliminating Lee Trevino.

But thanks to Stadler's 25-foot birdie putt at the 18th, everyone was able to go home in time. The 18 holes took only 5 1/2 hours to complete and that included a 30-minute intermission between the front and back nines.

Record earnings set: With the $130,000 earned on the front nine, Nicklaus broke the $1 million mark for front-nine earnings in senior skins. His five skins on the front brought his total to 50. He has 30 more outward-nine skins than his next closest competitor, Raymond Floyd.