Tiger Woods Is Doing Another Match-Play TV Special, but This One Has a Much Smaller Purse
Apparently Tiger Woods hasn’t learned his lesson about exhibition match-play TV specials — and we’re thrilled about that.
On Oct. 21, Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama will tee it up for GolfTV’s “The Challenge: Japan Skins.” The four PGA Tour golfers will compete for a total purse of $350,000, with hole values divided like this:
Holes 1 through 6: $10,000 per skin
Holes 7 through 12: $15,000 per skin
Holes 13 through 17: $20,000 per skin
Hole 18: $100,000 super skin
So yeah, it’s no $9 million “The Match,” but we’ll still watch. (DVR’d, this thing airs at midnight ET and we’re not insane.)
The global event will be available on GolfTV, which carries a monthly subscription in some parts of the world, like the UK and Ireland. In the United States, where GolfTV is not available, “The Challenge: Japan Skins” will be available for free on NBCUniversal’s Golf Channel.
In its host country of Japan, “The Challenge” airs at 13:00 JST. For Europe, that’s 06:00 CEST.
“After discussing The Challenge with Discovery and GolfTV, I wanted to be a part of it,” Woods said on Wednesday. “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.”
“I haven’t played a skins format in quite some time, so it will be fun to try something a little different and add a few strategic elements as we compete,” Woods, whose participation here is all part of his mega-deal with Discovery and the GolfTV, continued. “There has already been some friendly banter between us and that will continue until we get to the first tee.”
Also Read: Tiger Woods' Huge Masters Win Hands CBS TV's Highest-Rated Golf Morning in 34 Years
A “skins” game pitches players in the same group against each other individually over 18 holes. Each hole carries a monetary value, also called a “skin,” of escalating value.
The player in the group with the lowest score on the hole wins the skin for that hole; if two or more players tie for the lowest score, the skin carries over to the next hole. The skins continue to carry over until one player wins a hole outright, which may (and often does) result in a player receiving the money for one or more previous holes that they had not tied for.
If no player wins the 18th hole outright, a sudden-death playoff for the value of the final skin will ensue (but the value will not multiply with each playoff hole). The winner of “The Challenge: Japan Skins” is the player who takes home the most money.
“The Challenge: Japan Skins,” an exhibition that kicks off ZOZO Championship Week, is produced in partnership with Excel Sports Management. Both “The Challenge” and the ZOZO Championship will take place at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan.
Read original story Tiger Woods Is Doing Another Match-Play TV Special, but This One Has a Much Smaller Purse At TheWrap