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THE finale of the three-day Riffa Views Invitational event featured the head to head 'Skins Game' between four of the world's top golfers - eight-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, former US Open Champions Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell and world No 7, Camilo Villegas.
The four pros really showed why they are at the top of world golf with some stunning play as they battled it out for just over $250,000 of 'skins' prize money. All of them won at least one skin, with the overall winner being South African Retief Goosen who won skins worth $151,000; he was followed by Colin Montgomerie on $80,000, Camilo Villegas on $17,000 and Michael Campbell on $4,000.
The first money to be won was on the second hole, where Campbell had a birdie 3 to win $4,000 for the skins available on the 1st and 2nd holes. The stars then kept each other in check with holes 3 to 7 all halved. By the time they came to play the 8th, the accumulated skins on offer were up to $31,000. Villegas found water off the tee, with the other three players on the green in regulation. Monty and Campbell both missed their birdie attempts before Goosen made no mistake from around 12 feet to clock up the $31,000 to his name.
Having not factored in shake-up of the previous hole, Villegas made up for it straight away by birdieing the 9th hole from about six feet away to win the $7,000 skin on offer and get his score moving. So after nine holes, Goosen was leading on $31,000 followed by Villegas and Campbell on $7,000 and $4,000 respectively, with Monty yet to get on the scoreboard. This was how they went into a short lunch-break as they looked to cool down a bit from the soaring temperatures out on the course.
Monty obviously enjoyed the break because he immediately took control of the 10th hole with a birdie 3 and banked the 'skin' worth $10,000, leapfrogging Villegas and Campbell into second place. Villegas then returned the favour by regaining second place with a birdie 2 on the par 3 11th hole for the skin worth $10,000.
Goosen increased his lead with a birdie 3 on the 15th, rolling together four skins worth a total of $70,000 in the process. Campbell and Monty both birdied the 16th, with Monty getting back to back birdies with a 3 on the 17th to pick up the two skins - a total of $70,000. This meant that the title was between Goosen and Monty as they came down the par 5 18th hole with a $50,000 skin on the line - and it continued to be on the line into a play-off as all bar Monty had birdie 4's. The play-off consisted of a shoot-off from 100 yards out - all four players hit the green, but Goosen was the closest and he sank his 8 foot putt for the last skin and the Riffa Views Invitational Trophy.
