We’re just a few weeks past Thanksgiving, but it’s time to start prepping for next year’s Turkey Day/Week as the Skins Game will be back(!), updated and with money to burn. What once was a staple for the PGA Tour and its “silly season” is set to return next Black Friday from Pro Shop, the golf media company led by “Full Swing” executive producer Chad Mumm.
For those who don’t recall the Skins Game—after all, it has been 16 years since it was last played—it was an annual outing that featured the PGA Tour’s best competing, trash-talking and attempting to psych each other out for cold, hard cash. Its first iteration was in 1983 featuring Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Gary Player duking it out over Thanksgiving weekend at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Ariz. With Vin Scully announcing, Gary Player won $170,000 (a handsome reward 40-some years ago) with Palmer finishing as the runner-up. That’s a good showing, but Player was no Fred Couples who became a mainstay at the event eventually earning the moniker “Mr. Skins” after five wins and $4,405,000 in earnings over the years.
“The Skins Game embodies everything we strive for at Pro Shop—celebrating the rich traditions of golf while creating premium experiences that resonate with today’s modern audience,” Mumm said in a press release.
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The exact format and “high-stakes” prizes have yet to be announced, but the Black Friday date and similar break-out events like The Match and The Showdown put this revamped Skins Game in a great spot to garner some attention.
The former Skins Game revolved around golfers winning individual holes (otherwise known as “skins”) with money at stake every time they teed up—the money would continue to add up until a golfer won a hole outright. Over the years, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Annika Sörenstam, John Daly and Lee Trevino all competed with K.J. Choi winning the most recent event in 2008.
There was a Skins Game scheduled for 2009 but canceled beforehand due to mediocre ratings.
“Reimagining an iconic event like The Skins Game in a retro-modern way that engages today’s sports fans is exactly why the PGA Tour has partnered with Pro Shop,” said Chris Wandell, the senior vice president of media for the PGA Tour. “We look forward to seeing how the newest iteration of the Skins Game unfolds as Pro Shop and Propagate identify cast, format and creative approach.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com