| AP Sports Headlines |
Lehman wins title; Tiger falters on last nine holes
By KEN PETERS / AP Sports Writer
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- When the first Skins game was played in 1983, Tom Lehman had just completed his first year on the PGA Tour. His total winnings for the year were $9,413.
This weekend, Lehman, who had to strive for nearly a decade just to return to the Tour, made $300,000 for playing 18 holes.
The 38-year-old Lehman, whose road back took him through Africa, Asia, and scattered parts of the United States, finished the Skins Game by reeling off seven birdies over the final nine holes Sunday.
After completing the first day with two birdies worth a total of $130,000, Lehman added $170,000 Sunday by winning four more holes. With the "skins" and the money carried over on holes that were tied, Lehman won 10 skins.
He and Mark O'Meara captured most of the $600,000 purse. O'Meara earned $240,000 that included $100,000 on the first playoff hole to conclude the two-day, 18-hole event at Rancho La Quinta Country Club.
Tiger Woods was shut out over the final nine holes after winning one hole worth $60,000 Saturday. David Duval, a late replacement for Fred Couples, did not win any money. Couples withdrew to be with his father, Tom Couples, who died Thursday.
That Lehman was even in the Skins Game was a tribute to his determination. After turning pro out of the University of Minnesota in 1982, Lehman was a flop his first couple of years on the tour. He traveled to Asia and Africa to sharpen his skills, then played on mini-tours in the Dakotas, Florida and the Carolinas.
Not until 1992 did he return to the PGA Tour. He finished 24th on the earnings list that year with $579,033. He then broke through in 1996, winning the British Open and the Tour Championship and topping the year's money list with $1,780,159.
Looking back on leaner days, Lehman said he always thought his game was good enough for the Tour, but there was something missing.
"I knew I was good enough to play, but I had no confidence," he said. "So I think my perseverance finally produced confidence. I believe I just had to get mentally tough enough to finally have some success. And when I did, the confidence built."
He looked supremely confident in the Skins Game.
Lehman finished with a 7-under 29 on the back nine. Although round scores are insignificant in the Skins Game, in which players sometimes don't even putt out, Lehman's 18-hole card included a Skins record 10 birdies and no bogeys for a 61. He did not putt out on the one playoff hole.
Making his first appearance in the Skins Game, Lehman was accurate both with his irons and putter. He sank an 8-foot putt worth $60,000 on No. 11, a 4-footer for $30,000 on No. 12 and an 8-footer for $40,000 on No. 13, becoming the first player in the 15-year history of the Skins Game to win three consecutive holes.
Lehman, who didn't win a tournament this year but still had nine finishes in the top 10, wrapped up his big payday by sinking a 7-footer for another birdie on No. 17.
He benefited from some shaky putting by the others in the Skins Game foursome. O'Meara finally found his touch on No. 16, where he made a 20-footer for $120,000. O'Meara then tied Lehman when both made birdie putts on No. 18, setting up the playoff.
Lehman barely missed from 15 feet on the extra hole, and O'Meara rolled in his 5-footer worth $100,000. O'Meara had won one hole worth $20,000 Saturday.
"There was nothing we could do about Tom Lehman," O'Meara said. "He was on fire out there."
Woods' play was marked by putts that just missed.
"I just kept saying, 'Nice shot, Tom; nice putt, Tom; good hole, Tom," Woods, laughing, said of Lehman's play. "The guy went berserk on us."
In the Skins format, the low scorer wins a hole, a "skin," and the prize money for that hole. If at least two players tie a hole, the money carries over to the next and all four players are back in the hunt.
The first six holes were worth $20,000 each, the next six $30,000 each and Nos. 13-17 $40,000 each. The 18th included a $60,000 bonus that boosted the pot to $100,000. Notes: Each player designated 20 percent of his Skins Game earnings to a charity. Lehman earned $60,000 for the Children's Cancer Research Fund in Minneapolis, O'Meara $48,000 for the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women & Children in Orlando, Fla., and Woods $12,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation to benefit youngsters. ... The field for the Senior Skins Jan. 24-25 in Hawaii will consist of four-time defending champion Raymond Floyd, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin.
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