A Skins Game You Won't Want to Miss

Every once in a while there’s something on TV that makes you want to say Holy Golf Balls!  Record that program! In this case it’s The Memorial Skins Game.

The Memorial Skins Game is the only version of Skins that we will see with regular Tour players this year, and this version will have more moving parts than the Indy 500 winner’s engine.

There are two fivesomes, and each fivesome will play within their group.  But wait there’s more! The two fivesomes will also compete against each other for an overall bragging rights skins winner.   The players will donate half of the winnings on each hole to charity, which is The First Tee.

Nicklaus will be grouped with Phil Mickelson, Sean O’Hair, Kenny Perry and Ernie Els in one fivesome. And in the spirit of splitting things up, which seems to be the way it goes with Tiger and Phil, Tiger Woods will play with alongside Rory McIlroy, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson and Jim Furyk.  If not for Jack Nicklaus doing the asking, is there any way this would happen?  And honestly, if Jack Nicklaus asked you, would you hesitate?

The event will be on The Golf Channel 1-3:30 pm eastern, and will be repeated at 8 pm eastern and again at midnight eastern. No matter where you are living in the US, you’ll have a chance to see it with your favorite beverage by your side. Or push the record button.   

Good news for us is that golfers will have wireless microphones, although if an expletive slides out, that may also be the bad news.   Making great sense in the Columbus, Ohio, area is that tomorrow is Junior Golf Day at The Memorial Tournament, and  youngsters 18 and under are admitted free, which is a great gesture.  

The purse breakdown is

Holes  

10-12--   $2,000 per hole/ player & charity / total $12,000

13-15 -- $2,500 per hole/ player & charity/ total  $15,000  

16-17 -- $3,500 per hole / player & charity/ total $14,000

18 -- $4,500/ player & charity/ total $9,000

That’s per fivesome, and so those numbers get multiplied  by two and the total is $50,000 to various players and $50,000 to The First Tee.

So how many Skins do you think Jack Nicklaus will win?  Don’t forget, he co-designed the course, and he’s played in a lot of them.