Upon graduating from the University of Tennessee, David Skinns had planned to return to Europe to pursue his aspirations in golf. Yet, upon his return to the USA, he discovered that the promised tournament invitations had not materialized, proving to be one of the most fortunate occurrences in hindsight. While it wasn’t the celebrated transition from college ranks to PGA Tour stardom that the Englishman had envisioned, he was instead welcomed into the less captivating surroundings of the third-tier NGA Hooters Tour. Nevertheless, for Skinns, it turned out to be an exceptional training ground as a professional. Reflecting on those heady days in the late 2000s, he has no qualms about acknowledging the profound impact that seizing that opportunity has had on his career. “One of the reasons I returned to America was because I received an opportunity from the owner of the Hooters Tour,” Skinns shared on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast. “He informed me that based on my college career, I wouldn’t have to participate in the Q School and extended an invitation to play.
“It was運営 as a legitimate tour; they had an operations truck, pro-ams on Wednesdays each week, and a plethora of ancillary events. I happened to join at an opportune moment when the tour was thriving and was able to combine that with some strong performances on the course.
“Who knows what my career would have been like if I hadn’t been able to do that, as I won enough money to continue my career.
“It taught me how to win at this level; the initial breakthrough was significant, as I won three times that year, and it enabled me to keep going.” Competing for a share of a $200,000 purse per event after paying around $800 to enter – ” Essentially glorified gambling,” as Skinns describes it – with the winner receiving $33,566, pales in comparison to the $9.5m (£7.59m) prize pot that he and 155 other players will be vying for at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson on the PGA Tour. The earnings from three successful seasons on the NGA Hooters Tour, including a tour-leading $134,809 in his debut year, aided him and his family during difficult times on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour, as he repeatedly attempted and failed to earn a PGA Tour card. Even when he finally qualified for the top level in 2021, Skinns lasted just one season before dropping back down to the second tier. Nonetheless, at the age of 42, he is back again this year after finishing 12th on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour points table. Age may be just a number, but that didn’t prevent Skinns from being constantly reminded of it at The Players Championship in March when he became the oldest debutant in the 50-year history of men’s golf’s unofficial ‘fifth major’. Fortunately, that did not detract from his experience at TPC Sawgrass. “It’s the most prestigious tournament I’ve ever played in,” Skinns remarked. “It made me feel old; everyone kept saying, ‘you’re the oldest-ever rookie at The Players,’ and I was like, ‘oh, that’s cool; that’s nice,’ but it was great.
“You envision playing at that level as a junior, a high-level amateur, and a college player, but it didn’t happen. I’ve had many practice sessions where I thought, ‘I’m never going to play in a tournament like that,’ but it was a bit unexpected.
“I didn’t know I was going to be in the tournament until a few days before, but it was fantastic, and I felt like I played reasonably well that week. I got in my own way quite a bit and overthought things, ending up missing the cut by one, but it was a great experience.
“Playing in tournaments like that is just addictive. You crave more of that caliber of golf course and event. We’ll see if we can qualify for some bigger events next year.” True to Skinns’ nature, the first four months of his second season on the PGA Tour have been a microcosm of his entire career to date. Four consecutive missed cuts to start the campaign were followed by a tie for fourth at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, where he was tied for the lead going into the final round. Since then, he has missed the cut just twice and tied for seventh at the Texas Children’s Open, followed by he and compatriot Callum Tarren tying for 11th in the Zurich Classic team event last weekend. That performance at the Cognizant Classic served to reinforce to Skinns that his approach is working, and he will aim to showcase that again at TPC Craig Ranch this week. “That was the confidence boost I needed to know that if I play well, it will eventually translate into results,” Skinns said. “It was fantastic to have that, and a couple of weeks later in Houston, I was in contention. I felt I should have won that one but didn’t quite manage it on 17 and 18.
“The first three or four months of the year have been more about overcoming the hurdle of believing that my best golf will translate out here if I stick to what works for me.” Catch the PGA Tour throughout the season live on Sky Sports! The CJ Cup Byron Nelson’s early coverage starts on Thursday from 12.45 pm on Sky Sports Golf, with full coverage starting at 9 pm. Get instant access to live Premier League, EFL, darts, cricket, tennis, golf, and much more with a Sky Sports live stream and no contract through a Month or Day membership on NOW. Discover the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland. Enter the Course, City, or Postal Code. No results were found. Please try another search.
David Skinns: The Long and Winding Road to the PGA Tour
