The Tiger Woods GolfTV deal has brought several new events into the spotlight. One of those will be a skins game with Woods, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, and Jason Day called “The Challenge: Japan Skins,” that will lead into the first official PGA Tour event held in Japan.
The event will take place on October 21 this year in Japan.
Per Doug Ferguson:
“After discussing ‘The Challenge’ with Discovery and GOLFTV, I wanted to be a part of it,” Woods said. “I haven’t been back to Japan since 2006, and the golf fans there are some of the best in the world. It’s a unique format and a top field with Rory, Jason and Hideki. I can’t wait to play against them on a global stage.”
The payouts are also listed in Ferguson’s article.
Players need to win a hole outright, or it carries over to the next hole. Total prize money is $350,000 — $10,000 per skin for the opening six holes, $20,000 for the next six holes, $20,000 through the 17th hole and $100,000 for the 18th. There also will be charitable component.
100,000k for the 18th hole? Interesting!
Alex Kaplan, president and general manager of Discovery Golf, said they are estimating around 3,000 fans to show up and that because of the limited daylight in October, lights will be set up on the final holes … just in case.
“Playing with Hideki on his home turf, Tiger coming back to Japan with a green jacket, the motivation is certainly there for me,” McIlroy said. “And I’m a huge fan of the skins format. I love the way it rewards attacking play and think it suits my game quite well. The other fun thing about skins is how you find yourself rooting for the other guys if you’re not in a position to win the hole.”
Now, THAT is something I can get behind.
While “The Match” between Woods and Mickelson drew plenty of criticism, it did re-introduce a fun match-play aspect that has been missing from the Tour for a while outside of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.
Per Tiger’s release:
In the U.S., The Challenge: Japan Skins can be viewed live on Golf Channel starting at 11 p.m. EDT/8 p.m. PDT on October 20.
HT – Shack