Golf

Floyd-Quigley win sets skins record

WAILEA, Hawaii - Raymond Floyd said he'll never forget the dramatic putt he made on the 17th hole Monday in the Champions Skins Game.

The 63-year-old Floyd holed an 8-foot birdie putt for nine skins and $410,000, and teamed with Dana Quigley to beat Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson with 10 skins and a record $510,000 in the alternate-shot event.

"People always ask me about one shot that won a tournament, and I really have trouble recalling a specific shot. But I will always remember that shot right there," Floyd said. "I'll remember that putt because I don't know how it went in."

Floyd, a record six-time winner in the event, also made a 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole for another skin and $100,000. It was his 11th career unofficial team victory and his eighth since turning 50.

Nicklaus and Watson won eight skins and $260,000, and the teams of Arnold Palmer-Peter Jacobsen and Gary Player-Hale Irwin were shut out in the event that switched to the two-man format this year after 18 seasons as a four-man individual event.

After the teams halved Nos. 9-16, the par-4 17th was worth eight skins and $410,000, breaking Floyd's record for the most money won on a hole - $290,000 in 1995.

Floyd gently tapped the ball, uphill and into a slight wind. It paused on the rim, before dropping in. Floyd hunched over his putter in amazement as Quigley and the gallery cheered.

[Last modified February 7, 2006, 03:37:38]