Skins Game 1988-95: Payne Stewart, Curtis Strange Repeat

The Skins Game, 1988-95, featured back-to-back wins for Curtis Strange and a three-peat from Payne Stewart, along with the first win by Fred Couples.

As the Skins Game moved forward into the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was still a viable golf event that drew many of the world’s best players, including Curtis Strange, Payne Stewart and Fred Couples. Some of the original legends began to phase out in favor of some younger players, which gave the Skins Game some new energy and made it part of the history of golf.

In 1988, Raymond Floyd won his first, and only, Skins Game, taking home $290,000 to hold off Nicklaus. Floyd would make his only other appearance the following year, earning another $60,000 but was unable to defend his title.

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That year, it was Curtis Strange who won the title in the same year that he had defending his title at the U.S. Open. Strange’s Skins Game victory, during which he topped Nicklaus, earned him $265,000.

Like he did at the U.S. Open, Strange defended his Skins Game title the following year, in 1990, this time winning $225,000 to beat Greg Norman.

Repeat champions would be the trend during this period of time.

After Strange won two in a row, he gave way to Payne Stewart, who did Strange one better. Stewart won the first of his three straight Skins Game titles in 1991, when he won $260,000 to beat John Daly. 1991 also marked the final Skins Game appearance by Nicklaus.

In 1992, Stewart held off Fred Couples with $220,000 in winnings to claim the title once again. And in 1993, Stewart completed the three-peat by beating Couples again, this time with $280,000 in prize money.

After not playing from 1986-94, Tom Watson came back to win in 1994, earning $210,000 to beat Couples, who finished second for the third straight season. The 45-year-old Watson had an impressive showing that week.

In 1995, Couples would win the first of his five Skins Game titles. After being runner-up for three straight seasons, he was finally able to claim the title, winning $270,000 to beat Corey Pavin.

As you can see, the names that were playing in the Skins Game at that point were becoming less prominent than the group that started this event (Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Watson). However, the Skins Game still drew a viable television audience and was about to add a player who transcended the world of professional golf.