Chirping Has Already Begun Ahead Of The Capital One Skins Game Reboot

When The Skins Game, a made-for-TV golf spectacle, first aired, argyle sweater vests and pleated pants were the fashion of the day and Ronald Reagan was in his first term.

The holiday-season staple ran for 26 editions before being shelved seventeen years ago. That final edition came down to the wire with K.J. Choi outdueling Phil Mickelson, Rocco Mediate and Stephen Ames at Indian Wells. The Tank sealed the deal on the final hole, rolling in an 11-footer for birdie to plump his balance by $270,000 and lift his total winnings to $415,000.

The resuscitated event trades the Coachella Valley for South Florida as Palm Beach Gardens’ Panther National will serve as the manicured stage for the Capital One Skins Game reboot on Black Friday with coverage streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video.

Keegan Bradley, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele, familiar faces from the Ryder Cup—will each tee off with $1 million already on the board. In the new reverse-purse format, their fortunes will swell or plummet hole by hole, promising high stakes, big swings, and plenty of scoreboard drama.

Skins games tend to bring out the chirping and smack talk. The feather-ruffling ribbing started right out of the gate in a pre-event presser earlier today. When the participating players were asked who would be most likely to stir the pot, Xander Schauffele wasted no time firing the opening salvo.

“Tommy Fleetwood. He’s kind of known to have a bad reputation out here. Seriously anticipate him doing some dodgy things everybody,” the two-time major winner joshed.

Droll Irish pro Shane Lowry quickly piled on: “Everybody hates Tommy.”

But Schauffele wasn’t done: “Just because he cut his hair a little shorter, doesn’t mean he’s not going to bring it,” he said with an ear-to-ear grin, making it crystal clear that ganging-up on Fleetwood was all in fun.

“If I said anything bad to Tommy, I feel like I’d have to apologize after,” Keegan Bradley said, betraying the bit, before Lowry landed the closing jab: “Keegan’s already paid me and Tommy extra to not talk about Ryder Cup.”

Chipping Into Nostalgia

Rebooting an event steeped in nostalgia isn’t a slam dunk, especially in an era crowded with similar content, but showrunner Chad Mumm, co-founder of Pro Shop, believes the Skins Game has a built-in advantage coupled with a favorable time slot.

“We live in a nostalgia culture now,” Mumm explained. “The audience who grew up watching this are now the core golf fans.” With access to the original’s highlights, the iconic logo, and decades of history to lean on, he sees this version as both a revival and a continuation of a brand that has plenty of goodwill.

Planting the event back on the holiday weekend, he added, is no accident.

“This used to be as much a part of Thanksgiving as the NFL and turkey in the United States,” Mumm noted. It will air in the leadoff slot on a massive sports television weekend that now starts three hours before the Ole Miss—Mississippi State Egg Bowl matchup that kicks off college football rivalry weekend.

But Mumm is just as focused on restoring a key aspect contemporary silly season is missing: real stakes.

“The guys are each starting with a million dollars and when skins are won and lost, it’s coming out of their total…They can walk away with nothing,” he explained.

He believes that tension is exactly what makes the reboot a success. “People haven’t seen this in a long time, and I think we’ve got a really fun, really competitive, high-stakes format—and an amazing broadcast partner with a great time slot.”

The event is being co-produced by Propagate Content with an assist from PGA TOUR Studios. Taking the announcing reins are sportscaster Andrew Catalon, joined by Subpar’s Colt Knost and Dan on Golf’s Dan Rapaport. Coverage tees off Friday, November 28 at 9:00 AM ET / 6:00 AM PT on Prime Video. No subscription or Prime membership is required to view the broadcast.