Rollover Hole: This Year's Version Of The Skins Game Postponed
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Skins Game A "Victim Of Struggling Economy
And Poor Television Ratings" |
ESPN, IMG Media and the city of Indian Wells, California, have postponed the '09 version of The Skins Game. The event has been held every year since its creation in '83 (IMG). In Palm Springs, Larry Bohannan reported the event was a "victim of a struggling economy and poor television ratings." The news comes less than two months after officials from ESPN and Indian Wells said that "changes were needed in one of the original made-for-television golf events if it was to continue." The Skins Game in recent years has "struggled to attract top players and to gain big television ratings." Critics also have "complained about the purse -- $360,000 in the event's early days and [$1M] in recent years -- and the lack of Tiger Woods in the field as reasons the event has struggled." Bohannan noted one of the changes needed for The Skins Game to return in '10 is "finding a new title sponsor to replace Korean-based LG Electronics, which ended its three-year deal with the tournament last year" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 5/9). IMG Golf Senior Corporate VP & Global Managing Dir Mark Steinberg: "We did another pass through the market place and couldn't find a title sponsor." He added of reviving the event next year, "We're going to try hard. The [PGA Tour] has been great to work with on this" (AP, 5/9).
CHANGES NEEDED FOR SURVIVAL: The DESERT SUN's Bohannan wrote The Skins Game "not only needs a new sponsor, but a sponsor willing to double" the event's purse. Problems including a "less-than-stellar field at times to a small purse by today's PGA Tour standards to television ratings that have tumbled ... don't exactly make the Skins Game the most appealing golf property for a title sponsor these days." Meanwhile, without something that will "cause television viewers to tune in, without something that will make more top players want to play, the Skins Game's hiatus could easily be permanent." In addition to a greater purse, the event needs "greater freedom in the field" and "some tweak in the format" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 5/9). GOLF.com's Dick Friedman wrote The Skins Game in some regard "is a victim of its own success." When it was created, "few non-golfers knew of the concept," and it boasted the "John, Paul, George and Ringo of golf" with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson. It also had "relatively little competition: Silly-season golf hadn't been born" (GOLF.com, 5/8).
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