By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, November 26

Details
When	Saturday-Sunday
Course	Landmark Golf Club, Indio, Calif.
Par/Yardage	Par 72; 7,068 yards
Purse	$1 million
1999 champion	Fred Couples
Tournament record	$635,000 (Fred Couples, 1999) 14 skins (Fuzzy Zoeller, 1986)
Television	Saturday: 1-3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Saturday: 4-6 p.m. ET (ESPN) Sunday: 3:30-6 p.m. ET (ABC)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	4	405
	2	4	483
	3	3	192
	4	5	568
	5	3	249
	6	5	569
	7	4	389
	8	3	148
	9	5	507
	Out	36	3510
	10	5	556
	11	4	431
	12	4	373
	13	3	232
	14	4	334
	15	3	183
	16	4	408
	17	4	478
	18	5	563
	In	36	3558
	Total	72	7068

Poor Fred Couples. The 14-time winner on the PGA Tour finished just 47th on the money list this year, falling less than $10,000 shy of a $1 million season.

But that's just official money. It's the Silly Season now, and Couples is set to begin raking in the cash.

The annual Skins Game has become more of a Fred Couples Charity the past few seasons. He won the event last year for the third time in six seasons, setting a single-season record of $635,000 at Landmark Golf Club. The bulk of that came from a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole worth a whopping $410,000.

Couples arrives at this year's Skins Game as the all-time leader in earnings, just shy of $2 million; no other player has made $1 million in the event. He also has recorded 52 skins over the years, nearly double his closest pursuer.

This year, Couples gets a second-year player and a pair of Skins Game rookies as his competition.

Sergio Garcia, who won two skins in his debut last year, is back to challenge Couples. Also in the field are Masters champion Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, whose seven-year reign as Europe's top player came to an end this year.

It is an interesting group for an event which thrives on personality. Garcia has plenty of charisma, and Couples is among the most likable players in the game with his sweet swing and laid-back approach. But Singh and Montgomerie are hardly fan favorites despite their immense talents.

The Skins Game began as a TV event in 1983 with the legendary foursome of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Gary Player. Through the years, the top players have been invited to join in, and the result has been an interesting if unimportant event.

Played over two days, the foursome will play the front nine on Saturday and the back nine on Sunday.

The rules are pretty basic. All four play the same hole, with a specific amount of prize money on the line. The player with the lowest score on the hole wins the money. If two players or more match the lowest score, the money is carried over to the next hole.

This year, the first six holes will be worth $25,000 each; Nos.7-12 will be worth $50,000 each; Nos. 13-17 worth $70,000; and No. 18 worth $200,000. If the final hole is not won, playoff holes will continue until somebody claims the remaining pot.

The challenge for players is a spectacular desert course loaded with trouble. The front nine features three par-5s and three par-3s of considerable length. The back nine is a standard scorecard, including a monster par-5 finishing hole.

But with the Skins Game, it usually comes down to putting. The man who putts the best usually cashes the most checks. But the man who plays the best for the entire round won't necessarily be the winner. Couples proved that last year, winning holes when it mattered and playing poorly on others.

Next week, the Silly Season continues with the Williams World Challenge, a $3.5 million event hosted by Tiger Woods. Simultaneously, the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament will take place, an event where nothing silly takes place.