Skins-tight security for Vijay

The DLF Golf and Country Club is busy preparing for one of its biggest events, the fairways are under close observation, the greens are bein...

The DLF Golf and Country Club is busy preparing for one of its biggest events, the fairways are under close observation, the greens are being fussed over like never before and the rough is carefully trodden upon, as they set up the course for the reigning world number one, Vijay Singh.

The BILT Skins 2004 will see the world No. 1 play an 18-hole skins game for $100,000 alongside Open champion Todd Hamilton, Justin Rose and India’s Daniel Chopra on Sunday.

It’s not only the first time any golf No. 1 will compete in India, it’s the first time four PGA Tour players will play at the same time. Vijay is in excellent form, having won US$10.9 million in prize money this year and recently capturing the Fall Finish for the third consecutive year.

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Before that, on Saturday, is the Pro-Am at which which participants will get to play one hole with each PGA Tour player in turn while also competing for the team prizes.

This time around, the clinics will not be open to all either; mainly the co-sponsors will have an opportunity to book one-hour clinics with Todd, Justin or Daniel.

While the participants at Todd’s clinic with receive tips on putting, Rose will brush up the basics of chipping and bunker play, while Daniel will offer tips on the technique required for a good long game.

However, in a move that will disappoint golf fans, the event will be held under tight security. Both the Pro-Am and Sunday’s Skins are by invitation only. Gone, it seems, are the days when golf tournaments opened their doors to spectators.

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That’s the way of the world and it was inevitable here given what happened in 2002. At that Skins, Vijay often had to be pulled out of the crowds surrounding him when he walked from green to tee and was jostled around for a photograph.

WHAT IS SKINS?

		A ‘‘skins game’’ is a golf betting game that pits members of a foursome against each other in a type of match play. Each hole carries a value, and the winner of the hole wins that amount. Ties, or halves, result in the bet amount being carried over to the following hole, adding to the pot. When a player wins a hole, they’ve won the “skin.” Because of carryovers, pro skins games often result in a single hole being worth tens — even hundreds — of thousands of dollars (of course, the pros are playing for someone else’s money). The first major event was the Skins Game in 1983 (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson).

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