Day 1 notebook: Wendy's Champions Skins Game

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CAREER SKINS: For Jack Nicklaus, just one week shy of his 70th birthday, the seven skins won on the front nine today gives him 75 skins on the opening nine in his Wendy's Champions Skins Game career and 111 total skins. Tom Watson now has garnered 30 skins on the front nine and 51 total skins overall in this competition.

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Nicklaus, Watson lead

NICKLAUS A CONSTANT: Jack Nicklaus made his 20th appearance in the Wendy's Champions Skins Game today. Tomorrow, he will be shooting for his fourth victory in this event (1991, 2005, 2007). Watson made his seventh straight appearance in this event today and will be looking for his third victory in this event (2004, 2007).

A GOOD COMBINATION: Since the Wendy's Champions Skins Game switched to a team format in 2006, the Jack Nicklaus-Tom Watson team has been quite formidable, especially on the front nine of this competition. In 2006, Nicklaus-Watson captured eight skins and $260,000 on the opening nine but wound up finishing second in the overall event. In 2007, Nicklaus-Watson got two skins and $60,000 (T1 with Floyd/Quigley) on the first day and wound up winning. In 2008, Nicklaus-Watson claimed eight skins and $270,000 of the first nine holes, but finished second in the overall event.

DEFENDING CHAMPS BLANKED: Defending champions Ben Crenshaw and Fuzzy Zoeller were shut out on Day 1 of the 2010 Wendy's Champions Skins Game. It marked the first time defending champion(s) did not win a skin on the first nine holes since Tom Watson was blanked on Saturday in 2005 after winning the individual competition in 2004. That year, Watson picked up two skins on the back nine and $80,000. The last time a defending champion was shut out the following year was 2004 when Lee Trevino didn't earn any skins after winning six skins and $240,000 the year prior.

CLOSING THE DEAL: In the 22-year history of the Wendy's Champions Skins Game, the team leading or tied for the lead after the first day has gone on to win the overall competition only three times in the last 10 events and eight times overall.