MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/mgm-resorts-the-challenge-japan-skins/ Golf Instruction, Equipment, Courses, Travel, News Tue, 22 Oct 2019 04:55:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gd-favicon.ico MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/mgm-resorts-the-challenge-japan-skins/ 32 32 Jason Day wins, Tiger emerges healthy—both can consider Challenge a success https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/jason-day-wins-tiger-emerges-healthy-both-can-consider-challenge-a-success/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/jason-day-wins-tiger-emerges-healthy-both-can-consider-challenge-a-success/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2019 04:44:55 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=30068 Jason Day won the most money at the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins, but Tiger Woods delivered in his own way.

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]]> Jason Day won the most money at the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins, but Tiger Woods delivered in his own way.

By Daniel Rapaport
INZAI, Japan — Jason Day summoned two disparate up-and-downs from bunkers to win MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on Monday. One was as routine as it gets for a tour pro—a lob wedge that led to a winning tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th. The other one was the type of shot you’d dare your buddy to try after a few back-nine beers.

“I haven’t hit a bunker shot with a 6-iron in probably eight years,” Day said of his play on the 14th hole. You’d have no idea given how easy he made it look. He squatted—“I felt like I was sitting on the sand,” he said—opened his clubface up, nipped it perfectly, then used that same 6-iron to sink the par putt.

That type of short-game wizardy is what allowed Day to turn a so-so round into $210,000 and a victory over Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama.

It was only fitting that the standout shot from the day was one you’d never see in a stroke-play (or match-play) event. There was nothing conventional about this spectacle, which kicked off the PGA Tour’s official debut in the golf-crazy nation of Japan. Not the foursome, which grouped together four stars from four different continents. Not the setting, which needed floodlights to illuminate the final two holes. And not the atmosphere, which felt more like a $35 match than a $350,000 one.

RELATED: Everything you missed from MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins

“I enjoyed just being out with these guys,” said Woods, who appeared pain-free in his first appearance since having minor surgery on his left knee. Playing a competitive round for the first time since August, Woods—who, along with Day and McIlroy, was seeing Narashino Country Club for the very first time—got off to what he called a “terrible” start before shaking off the rust and playing a solid back nine. Well, except for his final putt of the round, when Woods had a chance to make birdie, tie Day and send the match into extra holes. He left that 15-footer about a foot short.

Atsushi Tomura

“I did not play well at the beginning,” Woods said. “Hit a lot of bad shots and did not putt well. Once I got into the flow of competing and feeling the round, it just got exciting. We were competitive.”

Competitive, sure, but also friendly. All four players were clearly comfortable with each other, with Day especially showing a jovial side you don’t often see from him on tour. Adding to the casual dynamic were the 3,000-or-so fans in attendance who were among the most respectful crowd you’ll encounter anywhere, in any sport. They pulled equally for all four players and showered the three foreigners with the same adoration they bestowed upon their native son, Matsuyama. This was a crowd appreciative and overjoyed to finally host the world’s best golfers—most of all Woods, competing in Japan for the first time in 13 years.

In the end, each player won at least one skin. Day, Woods (who finished with five skins and $60,000) and McIlroy (four skins, $60,000) each held at least a share of the lead at one point. The match was still up for grabs as the foursome came to 18, which was worth $100,000. Only Day managed to make birdie.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy responds to Brooks Koepka remarks

Richard Heathcote

None of the four, though, played their best golf all day, particularly early—there was only one birdie in the group through the first five holes, and Woods actually won a skin on the par-3 fifth hole with a par. The play did improve from then on, perhaps jump-started by a bit of light-hearted fun on the seventh hole. In a nod to the ongoing Rugby World Cup being held in Japan, four rugby greats were each paired with a player for a two-man scramble on the par 3. Bryan Habana, whose biceps make a golf club look like a toothpick, gave Matsuyama a read on a 40-foot birdie putt that the pro subsequently drained. Then Brian O’Driscoll jarred a downhill 20-footer to match, much to the delight of his partner McIlroy.

That was the kind of day it was. Loose. Casual. Stress-free. But there were still three losers and one winner, and that winner felt he could take positives as he continues searching for the form that saw him spend 51 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player.

“My short game is starting to come around,” said Day, who has just one top 10 since Augusta National, a stretch that’s seen him drop all the way to World No. 27. “My short game was nonexistent last week, but it was nice to be able to hole some putts coming down the stretch, hit some good shots.”

Whether this victory spurs him on to success as the Zozo Championship, which begins Thursday at Narashino, remains to be seen. For now, Day will revel in having won his first appearance in a skins game. He was quick to compare that to Woods’ record in the format events, which is now 0 for 7, and delivered one last good-natured barb.

“He hasn’t won one yet,” Day said, the one-time major champion looking at the 15-time major champion. “So I’ve got that on him.”

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/jason-day-wins-tiger-emerges-healthy-both-can-consider-challenge-a-success/feed/ 0 Here is everything that happened at ‘MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins’ while you were sleeping https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/here-is-everything-that-happened-at-mgm-resorts-the-challenge-japan-skins-while-you-were-sleeping/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/here-is-everything-that-happened-at-mgm-resorts-the-challenge-japan-skins-while-you-were-sleeping/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2019 04:41:49 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=30063 If you were expecting the excitement of Sunday at the Masters, that would have been silly of you, because that’s not what MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins was going for. Instead, the made-for-TV event’s goal was to entertain, and it did just that, even if it took its time in doing so.

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]]> Richard Heathcote
INZAI, JAPAN – OCTOBER 21: Tiger Woods of the United States, Jason Day of Australia, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan line up on the first tee during The Challenge: Japan Skins at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on October 21, 2019 in Inzai, Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

By Christopher Powers
If you were expecting the excitement of Sunday at the Masters, that would have been silly of you, because that’s not what MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins was going for. Instead, the made-for-TV event’s goal was to entertain, and it did just that, even if it took its time in doing so.

Eventually, Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama settled in, and those who settled in to watch on their couches well past midnight on the East Coast were treated to a fun, laid-back affair. As for those who went to bed, don’t worry, we’ll get you all caught up below. Here’s everything you missed from The Challenge while you were in sleeping.

RELATED: Tiger Woods doesn’t rule himself out as a Presidents Cup captain’s pick

The foursome needed time to warm up

The boys were slow in getting started over the opening few holes as they felt out the course and the format. Day struck first with a birdie at the par-3 third hole, winning three skins and $30,000.

On No. 4 came the event’s first “charity challenge,” which allowed the players to choose which of the hole’s two greens to play to. As Geoff Ogilvy went on to explain during the broadcast, many Japanese golf courses have two greens at each hole, one for the summer months and one for the winter. The summer green is usually seeded with Bermuda or zyosia grass, and the winter is seeded with bentgrass. The idea is that customers will always have a good putting surface to play on no matter the time of the year.

After all that background, it felt deflating to say nothing really happened on the hole, which was tied with pars. Tiger made one of them, causing him to jokingly say, “Look at that, I played a hole,” a jab at his slow start. (We’ll cut Tiger some slack given this was his first competition since August.) He finished the next hole with a par, too, but this time it surprisingly earned him two skins and $20,000 when Day, McIlroy and Matsuyama all found the water off the tee on the par 3.

Rugby players spice things up
After six quiet holes, four rugby players in Japan for the Rugby World Cup added their own brand of excitement. Mike Tindall of England, George Gregan of Australia, Bryan Habana of South Africa and Brian O’Driscoll of Ireland were part of the second “charity challenge,” which paired them each with one of the pros. The hole ended in a tie, but it was an electric tie at that. Matsuyama made the first birdie from way downtown, causing his partner, Habana, to jump into his arms/scare the hell out of him. Moments later, O’Driscoll buried his birdie putt for the halve:

That’s one sweet putt by O’Driscoll, whose swing was by far the most impressive of the four rugby players.

At the next tee, Woods said what we were all thinking about Habana and Hideki’s celebration:

Luckily, Habana wasn’t Woods’ partner.

Tiger gets on track
Later this week, Woods makes his 2019-’20 PGA Tour debut in the ZOZO Championship, which will also be played at the same course (Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club) as The Challenge. We’re guessing Tiger will be happy he got an early look. The skins format allowed Woods to settle in and come up clutch when he needed to, like at the 8th hole, where $40,000 was on the line:

Rory joins the party
For much of the day it was the Tiger and J Day Show, both on the scoreboard and on camera. Their back-and-forth with each other was pretty cool. As for McIlroy, he didn’t have much going … until the 12th, which just so happened to be worth $60,000 after ties at nine, 10 and 11:

The most impressive part about that shot was that he hit it while scarfing something down. Then, seconds later, GOLFTV’s Henni Zuel conducted an interview with Rory as he walked to the green, and she asked about Brooks Koepka’s recent comments. Naturally, McIlroy was as honest as ever:

Reason No. 1 million McIlroy is the best quote in golf. Oh, and after delivering this gem, he made birdie and took $60,000. Take that, Brooks!

The one-club challenge!
After Matsuyama got on the board with his first skin at the 13th, the last and most intriguing “charity challenge” awaited on the 14th hole. The challenge? Players could only use one club on the par-5 14th, setting up an interesting decision on the tee box. We came close to some real fireworks when McIlroy nearly decided on 5-wood but got talked out of it:

Woods went with 4-iron and striped one off the tee:

Day, also with a long iron, did this from a greenside bunker:

Immediate Seve Ballesteros comparisons were made, and they were 100-percent warranted. Incredible shot. We need more one-club challenges on the PGA Tour, preferably on the 72nd hole of every event. Too much? Keith Pelley would do it.

It got really dark, really quickly
We knew this thing had potential to finish under the lights, but man, it got really dark, really fast. Officials tried to speed up play by driving players to their shots in carts, but the foursome contested the last three or four holes in the dark:

Fortunately for Day, the floodlights lit up the 17th green, where he drained an $80,000 putt after holes 14-16 were tied:

By the way, this was the second time on the day that a hole was won with a par. Hmm … $80K to make a par as a tour pro. Good work if you can get it.

Day finishes it off
Everything was still up for grabs at the 18th hole, which was worth $100,000. Even Matsuyama, sitting at just $20,000, could have stolen the overall title. He didn’t, nor did Woods or McIlroy, who made the best effort of the three to tie the hole with a chip that just missed the left edge. But par wasn’t enough to beat Day, who got up and down for birdie to finish it off:

Obviously, it’s not an official victory, but it’s always nice to come out on top no matter what’s on the line, especially against the likes of Woods, Matsuyama and McIlroy. The extra $210,000 ain’t so bad, either. By the way, Day won while wearing Tiger’s sweater vest, which Tiger must have loaned him earlier in the round. Don’t believe us? Check the logo:

It might not be a Sunday red polo, but a TW sweater vest could be the next best thing. No chance Day is giving that thing back.

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/here-is-everything-that-happened-at-mgm-resorts-the-challenge-japan-skins-while-you-were-sleeping/feed/ 0 Tiger Woods spotted practicing with a unique-looking putter before Skins Game https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tiger-woods-spotted-practicing-with-a-unique-looking-putter-before-skins-game/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tiger-woods-spotted-practicing-with-a-unique-looking-putter-before-skins-game/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2019 04:38:21 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=30050 Tiger give those paying close attention something to gawk on the practice putting green prior to MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins.

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]]> By E. Michael Johnson
No, Tiger Woods isn’t changing putters. Well, not yet at least. But he did give those paying close attention something to gawk on the practice putting green prior to MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins on Sunday.

Woods was using a TaylorMade blade putter with a triangular neck. Golf Channel’s Tiger Tracker, tweeted this photo:

The odd-looking club brings to mind a putter design from Ashdon Golf, which boasts a similar triangle-shaped neck putter.

So why a triangle for a neck? Obviously this putter is not ready for prime time so TaylorMade is keeping mum. Ashdon, however, has this explanation on its website:

“The triangle is one of the two strongest forms of stability in the world. If you look at any bridge or building, they are always connected with triangles and circles. That is because the triangle and the circle create the greatest stability and balance that is needed for structural engineering.”

So there you go.

Of course, by game time, Woods was back with his normal Scotty Cameron in the bag. When you’re putting for dough in a skins game, it’s tough to send old faithful to the bench.

 

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