LA QUINTA, Calif, -- A fun-loving guy with a serious golf game, Fred Funk was in vintage form in his LG SKINS GAME debut last year.

After pulling in the laughs from his fellow competitors and the crowd during play at Trilogy Golf Club, he awed the gallery in taking the last 15 skins and $925,000 from the No. 1 male and female players in the world -- Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam.

Clearly, Funk will not challenge the newest trio of competitors at the 2006 LG SKINS GAME in a long-driving contest, but the onus is on Fred Couples, John Daly and Stephen Ames to end Funk’s championship reign.

Fan favorites Couples and Daly, along with Ames, the winner of the 2006 PLAYERS Championship, will compete with Funk at the 2006 LG SKINS GAME, Nov. 25-26, at the Trilogy Golf Club in La Quinta, Calif. The quartet will compete for $1 million in prize money in the unique “skins game” format. As is customary, Funk, Couples, Daly and Ames will donate 20 percent of their winnings ($200,000) to their favorite charities.

In its 24th year, the LG SKINS GAME has established itself as a Thanksgiving weekend staple for sports enthusiasts. ABC Sports will televise the event, a joint venture of ESPN Regional Television, Inc., and IMG Media. Annually, it is one of the highest rated golf telecasts and will be televised on Saturday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 26 from 3:30-6 p.m. (ET).

LG Electronics Inc., one of the world’s leading electronics companies, announced a three-year agreement to become the title sponsor of the SKINS GAME in May. The LG SKINS GAME returns to Trilogy Golf Club in La Quinta for the fourth consecutive year.

Funk’s 2005 victory was the second-largest payday of his career as the LG SKINS GAME annually provides for one of the richest two-day payoffs in golf. Funk set a LG SKINS GAME record for most skins and money won when the event hasn’t used the validation format. Greg Norman won all 18 skins and the entire $1 million purse in 2001 when validation rules applied to the event.

The oldest player to become champion of the LG SKINS GAME, Funk made $225,000 on the first day in the 2005 event with a 28-foot eagle putt on No. 9. He then highlighted his title with a $550,000 birdie on No. 18, bringing his second-day total earnings to $700,000.

In the LG SKINS GAME format, players compete for money at each hole rather than low score for the round. A player must win a hole outright to win a skin. If a hole is tied, the skin(s) and money carries over to the next hole. Each of the first six holes (Nos. 1-6) will be worth $25,000. Each of the second six holes (Nos. 7-12) will be worth $50,000. Nos. 13 through 17 will each be worth $70,000, and the 18th hole, the LG Super Skin, will be worth $200,000. The foursome will play for $300,000 on Saturday and $700,000 on Sunday.