The Hole-by-Hole Tournament is an annual tradition during the PGA Tour’s Folly Season, held near the end of the year from 1983 to 2008.
Golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player competed in the inaugural tournament 42 years ago in Arizona.
In 1983, the South African player prevailed, and a year later Nicklaus had his revenge.
But after South Korea’s KJ Choi won the 2008 hole-by-hole championship, the tournament went into hibernation, with many speculating that the television show was no longer of public interest.
But 17 years later, we are back!
Some may remember it well, but for those new to the skins game or older viewers who need a refresher, this is all you need to know.
When does it happen?
Friday, November 28th.
The return of the Skins Game is being promoted as part of a larger sports Black Friday that also includes American Football and NBA games.
How to watch?
Skins 2025 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Start time is 9am Eastern Time, which is 2pm UK time.
Who participates?
Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Sean Lowry and Keegan Bradley.
All four featured in the recent Ryder Cup, with Fleetwood and Lowry being key figures in Team Europe’s win over Team Bradley, while Schauffele was their co-leading scorer.
Justin Thomas was originally in the starting lineup but was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Where did it happen?
Thomas still leaves his mark on the event, as the tournament is played at Panthers National Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which he co-designed with Jack Nicklaus.
The course’s official website says the course “features steep elevation changes and dramatic vistas” and the par 72 plays to 8,000 yards.
With plenty of risk/reward vulnerabilities, it looks like an ideal place for skin gaming.
How does it work?
The hole-by-hole format is a well-known format in golf.
The player with the lowest score on each hole wins the point, or “skin.” If two or more players tie, the score for that hole will carry over to the next hole for a double value. There’s no clear winner there, the next hole deserves three points and then move on.
The winner is the player with the most skins at the end of the round.
What will be new in 2025?
This year, the “reverse wallet” was launched. Each player will start the game with $1 million, rather than starting from scratch and trying to grow their bankroll.
Chad Mumm, co-founder and president of the Pro Shop and responsible for revitalizing the tournament, offered this explanation:
“How do you get a modern foursome to punch on the sixth hole? You let them take money from other people. I just think it creates stakes early on, which is going to be really fun.
“The first time they win a skin, these guys look at their sign and their total goes from $1 million to $900,000…and they’re like, well, shit…
“We don’t want to pay an appearance fee, so we have to have a big enough wallet to get their attention.
“Then, betting them from the get-go, giving them a million each to start, I think is a way to really get them focused on winning those holes.”
Mumm is also behind Netflix’s Full Swing series.
Who is the most successful player in the history of skin gaming?
Fred Couples won the event five times (1995, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004), earning him the nickname “Mr. Skin.”
Payne Stewart won the Triple Crown, while Fuzzy Zoeller, Curtis Strange, Mark O’Meara and Stephen Ames all won twice.
Tiger Woods has never won. He finished second three times.
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