Ray Floyd is making the Senior Skins his personal tournament.
Floyd won his third consecutive Senior Skins on Sunday by taking eight skins worth $240,000 and, in the process, running his total winnings to $960,000.Oddly, however, his key moment in the progressive format against Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Jim Colbert came at the 199-yard, 15th hole, where he has had difficulty in the past.
After a moment of hesitation, when he thought about going to the 5-iron again, Floyd opted to drop a club. It was a perfect choice as his tee shot sailed over the ocean inlet at the 6,938-yard Mauna Lani Resort South Course and nestled a tap-in distance away.
"The years I've played here, I've generally hit the ball too far," Floyd said. "I was going to hit a 5-iron, but the wind was against us, so I hit 4 and it was 4 inches away.
"Thank goodness it didn't hit the flagstick or it would have ricocheted past. After I tapped in, there was incredible suspense for me to have to wait that long for so many dollars. My heart was trying to leap out of my chest."
The birdie gave him five skins to add to his earlier three and breathing room against a persistent Colbert, who finished with seven skins worth $180,000.
Colbert, making his first Skins appearance, charged into the lead on the first hole of the day, the 535-yard 10th, with a 6-foot birdie putt.
"I've never experienced anything quite like this," he said of his introduction to the winner-take-all format.
"I was wide awake and alive after No. 10. It's a great game. Your heart gets pumping not so much with what you do, but when you watch the other guys. I tried to stop Raymond, but I couldn't do it."
After Floyd's birdie at the 15th, Colbert still had a chance at the title with $120,000 still available. But Palmer, angry with himself for blowing an opportunity at the 10th hole, ran in a 6-foot birdie putt at the 17th to pick up $80,000 and block out Colbert.
"I thought a lot about what I wanted to do at 10 last night and the first two shots were on schedule," said Palmer, who admitted he "lost a lot of momentum" at the start of the day's round.
"The 10th hole burst my bubble," he said. "That was a real downer. I did everything according to plan, but I couldn't close. I really worked to try to get the ball on the green and was successful at doing that. It was disappointing to three-putt."
Nicklaus, who won the event in 1991 and earned $120,000 last year, failed to win any skins in regulation, but picked up the final $40,000 on the second extra hole. The extra holes were required because no one won the skin on the last hole.
"I got on the board, but I didn't play real well," he said. "When the other guys play well, you're not going to get anything. Both Arnold and I were talking on the 17th tee and saying it was unlikely that we were going to get a skin."