Notes From The Road

Posted: Monday, February 25, 2008

Contributor: Peter Jacobsen

My Recap of the Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME

It was an honor to be invited to play again this year in the Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME at Kaanapali in Hawaii. I played in 2006 with Arnold Palmer as my alternate shot partner, but this year I was paired with Fuzzy Zoeller....and I knew we were in for a great time! Simply getting past the unbelievably impressive first tee introductions of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson each day was a "major" accomplishment. Hundreds of tournament victories, major championships, Ryder Cups, President Cups and Players Championships, the greatest players of our time, player of the millenium, etc. It was enough to make me feel like a donkey running at the Kentucky Derby!

We were scheduled to play 18 holes of skins, with the competition being straight alternate shot. Fuzzy and I were shut out on the front nine due to some great putting and recovery play by the team of Nicklaus-Watson, the defending champions. Jack holed birdie putts from 12 and 30 feet for skins on #4 and #9 along with a holed bunker shot for a skin on #5. They didn't play the best golf on the front side but they definitely rose to the occasion in some difficult situations to lead with $270,000 in skins money.

Believe it or not, there was some strategy involved. Every team had gone through the Kaanapali golf course the day before in the pro-am thinking about who would drive on the difficult holes, who would tee-off on the most par-3s and who would be putting on the most greens. We all wanted to play to each other's strengths but I could argue that with these great players, finding a weakness is difficult.
  
We got going on the back nine after I made a six-foot par putt for a skin on #11, which was quite unexpected and unusual. Pars don't usually win in this game! That felt good and got our team on the board. On #14, Fuzzy made an eight-foot birdie putt to win us another skin and got us close to the lead with $220,000.

After Loren Roberts made a 40-foot snake on #17 for he and Gary Player to get to $180,000 in skins money, it came down to the last hole (which had a value of $100,000), to determine the overall winner. The only teams that could win it all were Nicklaus-Watson and Fuzzy and I.

After #18 was tied with pars, we all went back to the 18th tee for a playoff. After all was said and done, it was up to me to lag Fuzzy's 3-iron second shot as close as possible for a par and a good chance at the win. I lagged that putt down to about six inches and Fuzzy tapped it in for the $100,000 skin and the champoinship!

It was a fantastic round of golf that I will never forget. The fun and the comraderie almost trumps the $320,000 Fuzzy and I split....almost!

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