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 From left: Watson, Nicklaus, Player and Palmer played the first Skins Game in 1983. Golf fans will have to go cold turkey this month regarding the Skins Game. The annual Thanksgiving weekend tradition in the desert has been canceled because of the lack of a corporate sponsor. IMG, which manages the Skins Game, was in negotiations with LG on a contract extension when the Korean-based electronics company elected not to renew. Organizers hope to bring the event back to the area in 2010, but, like many endeavors, the economic outlook will have a lot to do with the decision-making process. “The Skins Game has enjoyed a long and successful history, and it will continue to be an important part of golf’s fall season in the future, but given the current economic climate, postponing the 2009 event was necessary,” said Barry Frank, executive vice president of IMG Media and one of the founders of the Skins Game in 1983. The Skins Game, which was a novelty when it began that year with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson teeing it up at Desert Highland in Scottsdale, Ariz., has struggled to attract top-name foursomes and seen a plunge in television ratings in recent years. Still, the event is worth saving with possible modifications to the format, said IMG golf division head Mark Steinberg. “We’re going to give it a go,” he said. “There’s so much history and tradition with this event.” While there is much to be debated about the format, there’s no doubt that the event — held at a time of year when golfers in the Midwest and Northeast have already put their clubs in the closet — shined a spotlight on the Palm Springs area with its cloudless, sunshine-filled sky. It was a great marketing tool for the Coachella Valley and host facilities like PGA West, the Golf Club at Terra Lago and Indian Wells Golf Resort, the site of the previous two events and what was supposed to be the venue again this month. I remember sitting in front of the television set in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin (I had to move a lot to keep warm) with my plate full of leftovers and watching the event. Not only was it cool seeing a familiar player try to make a putt with thousands of dollars on the line, but I was jealous of them because they were playing golf — outside! — in late November. I didn’t know La Quinta from La Habra and wasn’t sure where the Palm Springs area was in proximity to Los Angeles, Disneyland or San Diego, but I knew I wouldn’t mind visiting some day. When I moved to Orange County in 1998, I wanted to see the courses and tournaments on the West Coast I saw on television, and I eventually got to see and play Riviera Country Club, Torrey Pines and others. But the first in-person experience was the 1998 Skins Game at Rancho La Quinta, won by Mark O’Meara in a foursome that included Tom Lehman, Fred Couples and Greg Norman. It was a new experience for me seeing the desert fauna and mountains that had a 3-D effect and looked like props on a movie set. I was in La Quinta and watching the Skins Game. It sounds corny, but it was pretty neat. And apparently, I’m not alone in my thinking. “It’s such a cool event to see on Thanksgiving weekend,” said Phil Mickelson, who played in the 2008 Skins Game with K.J. Choi, Stephen Ames and Rocco Mediate. “Hopefully it will return in 2010.” ALSO SEE: Skins Game will not be played in 2009, return uncertain |
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