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Rory, DJ, Rickie, and Wolff to play skins game this weekend. But what’s a skins game?

The golf format means either you need to play really good, and when you don’t, have you opponents be of equal stature. It also rewards playing under pressure.

By Collin Sherwin
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off on the 18th hole during the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on October 21, 2019 in Chiba, Japan. Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

This Sunday, four outstanding golfers will contest the TaylorMade Driving Relief 2020 Skins Game from 2-6 p.m. ET, with live coverage on NBC, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Network, and Sky Sports. Also, PGA Tour Live, GOLFPASS, GolfChannel.com and GOLFTV will stream the entire event. Yes, everyone will broadcast this because we’re all so desperate for good sports and content.

Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson will team up and face Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in a skins game format for charity. If you’re not a big golf fan you might be asking ‘what’s a skins game?’ It’s about the most basic form of golf gambling there is, and a format popular from a member-guest from the white tees all the way to the practice rounds at Augusta National during The Masters.

If your team wins a hole, you get a “skin” for victory on that hole. But if your team ties any other participant in the match for the lowest score on a hole, that money rolls over to the next hole. So if there’s a tie, the next hole is worth double. And if that hole is tied? The following is three skins, or triple the original amount.

The old Skins Game broadcasts on Thanksgiving weekend on ABC from 1983-2008 for what was huge prize money at the time helped to popularize the format. But those broadcasts increased the amount of money available every six holes. The last year of that event saw the first six holes worth $25,000, holes 7-12 $50,000, and holes 13-17 at $70,000. The 18th was worth a whopping $200,000.

Whether or not TaylorMade Driving Relief will institute something similar, we just don’t know yet. But as of now McIlroy and Johnson are -255 favorites, while the pair of Oklahoma State Cowboys in Fowler and Wolff are +175 for the victory.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN) or 1-800-522-4700(NH/CO). NH/NJ/WV/IN/PA/CO only. 21+ (18+ NH). Eligibility Restrictions Apply. See website for details.

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