The Challenge: Japan Skins Odds

After the success of last year’s one-on-one pay-per-view event between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, Woods is back with a unique format that pits him against Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama in a skins event at Narashino Country Club in Japan.

When it comes to odds, Sportsbook has tabbed McIlroy as the +150 front-runner, with Woods (+275), Matsuyama (+275) and Day (+300) behind him. That’s a stark contrast to when books initially released the lines back in July when the event was announced, as Matsuyama opened as the +600 long shot with McIlroy’s price sitting at +150.

Tiger Woods has Never Won a Skins Event

The one-day competition will get underway a few days prior to the start of the Zozo Championship, a new tour event being played outside of Tokyo. Woods has played in seven skins competitions but has never won.

Skins events used to be a staple on the PGA Tour but haven’t been a regular feature in the fall rotation since 2005. The player with the lowest score for each hole wins that hole and whatever amount of money it’s worth.

Once a skin or multiple skins are won, the next hole goes back to being worth one skin. If the 18th hole is tied, a sudden-death playoff will occur to determine who wins the final skin. If there are multiple playoff holes, the value of the skin doesn’t multiply. The overall purse for The Challenge: Japan Skins is approximately $350,000 US.

The Japanese version of the skins challenge is part of a content deal Woods has with GolfTV and will be broadcast live and on demand for free for those who register with GolfTV outside the United States. In the U.S., the exhibition event will be simulcast live on Golf Channel.

Odds as of October 16 at Sportsbook