Wendy's Champions Skins Game: Day 1 Notebook WAILEA, Hawaii -- Day 1 of the 2007 Wendy's Champions Skins Game bore a striking similarity to the 2006 edition. Once again, it was the teams of Jack Nicklaus/Tom Watson and defending champions Ray Floyd/Dana Quigley banking all the money. Both teams earned two skins and $60,000. While coming up empty on Day 1, the teams of Arnold Palmer/Loren Roberts and Gary Player/Jay Haas halved the ninth hole, making Sunday's opening 10th hole worth $220,000 of the $650,000 remaining. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS BEFORE?: The similarities didn't end there. Just like in 2006, the first year of the alternate-shot, team format, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson drew first blood on the first hole. And just like 2006, it was Nicklaus draining a birdie putt to pick up the first skin and $30,000. JACK'S AT IT AGAIN: When it comes to front-nine skins, it usually begins and ends with Jack Nicklaus, who padded his front-nine career skins total to 60 and his career total to 89. The $30,000 (half of the team total of $60,000 he and teammate Tom Watson earned) pushes Nicklaus' front-nine earnings to $1,423,000 -- nearly $1 million ahead of category runner-up Ray Floyd, who picked up $30,000 on his own for $430,000. SLEEP ON IT: The $220,000 carryover is the largest amount going forward since a $200,000 carryover in 2001. That happened after Hale Irwin earned $20,000 for a birdie on No. 5 and everyone else came up empty until Jack Nicklaus banked the $200,000 with a birdie on the 12th hole. NO JOY ON THE SIXTH: When Ray Floyd/Dana Quigley and Jack Nicklaus/Tom Watson halved the sixth hole, it kept the drivable 287-yard par 4 as the only hole in the seven-year history of the Wendy's Champions Skins Game at Wailea Golf Club's Gold Course not to yield a skin. WAIT YOUR TURN: Once again, it wasn't a profitable day for event rookies. Both Loren Roberts and Jay Haas came up empty on Day 1 of their event debuts. But they can take solace in the fact that event veterans Arnold Palmer and Gary Player -- who own a combined five Wendy's Champions Skins Game titles -- were blanked as well. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |