Real money is on the line when the Skins Game returns this Black Friday. Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, and Keegan Bradley will tee off on November 28 at 9 a.m. ET on Prime Video. There is prize money on the line, but the structure is where things get interesting.

Approximately $4 million sits at stake across the four-player field at Panther National Golf Club. Each competitor starts the match with $1 million already on their scoreboard. Then the pressure begins. Their totals rise or fall based on skins won or lost throughout the round. Win a hole outright, and the money climbs. Lose one, and watch that starting million shrink. It’s a running money leaderboard that fluctuates with every shot.

The traditional skins concept remains intact. Each hole carries a cash value. Ties roll the money over to the next hole, building bigger pots. The difference now is psychological. Players aren’t just chasing winnings. They’re protecting a stake they already “own.” Hole values escalate as the round progresses. Early holes are worth less. Middle holes increase. The closing stretch—mainly the 18th—carries the highest dollar values. A strong finish can swing massive amounts of money in a single hole.

Here’s the catch. The Skins Game counts as an unofficial money event. Winnings don’t appear on FedExCup season earnings. They don’t factor into official PGA Tour money lists. But the cash is real, and the competition even more so.

The trash talk among the players has started early. Lowry joked during the pre-event press conference that Bradley had already paid him and Fleetwood extra “to not talk about the Ryder Cup.” Bradley fired back immediately.

“I won’t have a walkie-talkie in my hand on Friday,” Bradley said. “I’ll have a golf club, which is my chance to get back at these two maniacs down there.”

Schauffele lost his primary target when Justin Thomas withdrew after undergoing a microdiscectomy for a disc problem that caused hip pain. Lowry replaced Thomas in the field.

“I actually had so much material against JT,” Schauffele admitted. “I feel like I’ve been undressed during this.”

After a 17-year absence, golf’s most nostalgic exhibition is back with a twist that changes everything, but we should know about the history, so that we can cherish the comeback.

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Skins Game history: From legends to prime stars

The original Skins Game debuted on November 27, 1983, at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, and Watson competed as the founding four. Gary Player won $170,000 that first year.

The event ran annually through 2008. Fred Couples dominated the format, winning five times and earning over $4.4 million across 11 appearances. Tiger Woods made multiple memorable appearances. Greg Norman swept all 18 skins in 2001 under a short-lived validation rule, taking home $1 million.

Post-recession realities ended the franchise in 2008. Sponsorship dried up. Fan interest waned. The tournament disappeared for 17 years.

Now it returns with a crucial difference. The 2025 field features elite players in their competitive prime, not legends in their twilight. Fleetwood just won the 2025 FedExCup Championship. Schauffele claimed two majors in 2024. These aren’t ceremonial appearances. These are warriors with something to prove.

The venue adds another layer. Panther National opened in 2023 as Palm Beach County’s first new private club in two decades. Nicklaus and Thomas co-designed the course on 400 acres, creating dramatic elevation changes and waste areas unusual for Florida golf. The reverse purse format creates genuine competitive stakes. A player could theoretically finish with less than their starting million. That possibility transforms a typically relaxed exhibition into something closer to high-stakes gambling.

The strategic implications run deep. Protecting your stake requires careful play. But the escalating hole values on the back nine reward calculated aggression. Finding that balance separates winners from those who walk away empty-handed. The answer is clear. Yes, there’s prize money at the 2025 Skins Game. And yes, it matters.