Nicklaus and Watson team this weekend in Champions Skins Game

Event, which will air Feb. 27-28 on ESPN, includes five Hall-of-Famers and Fred Couples in his Champions Tour debut

KA'ANAPALI, Maui – 2007 winners Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson highlight the field this weekend as the 23rd Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME returns this weekend to the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii, and the Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course. The competition also marks the Champions Tour debut of 50-year-old Fred Couples, who will join five Hall-of-Famers in the event.

Other Hall-of-Famers members to play alongside the Golden Bear and Watson are Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw and Nick Price.

Along with this legendary group, Loren Roberts will compete in his second Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME, while Crenshaw and Fuzzy Zoeller attempt to become the first team to successfully defend its title.

For the fifth consecutive year, the players will compete in the alternate-shot, team format which has produced memorable shots, a sprinkle of intrigue and a bundle of player commentary. The players will play nine holes Saturday and another nine Sunday, with ESPN televising the event on a tape-delayed basis Feb. 27, 4-6 p.m. E.T. and Feb. 28, 2-4 p.m. E.T. (Times vary in different areas; check your local listings). The broadcast will also be available on ESPNHD.

“This is really the only professional golf event I still compete in, so I look forward to it every year,” Nicklaus said. “It is a great opportunity to reunite with good friends in a fun but competitive setting. While the camaraderie might take priority over the competition, I can promise you that everyone out there wants to win. Still, the true winner is charity and that makes the event that much more special.”

Crenshaw and Zoeller return to the Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course at the Ka'anapali Beach Resort to defend their title against 2007 champions Nicklaus and Watson, who are paired for the fifth consecutive time. The Wendy’s Champions SKINS GAME has been dominated by the Golden Bear. Jack, who is playing in his 20th SKINS GAME, owns 10 career Wendy’s Champions SKINS GAME records, including most career skins (104) and most career money ($2,430,000). His 68 front-nine skins are more than every other competitor’s total skins, save Ray Floyd, who has 69.

Couples will join Price, who is also competing in his first Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME while Roberts and Player create a fantastic putting combination.

"We are thrilled that Fred Couples has chosen to start his Champions Tour career by competing in the Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME and join what is a legendary group of the game's most dynamic personalities," said Barry Frank, Executive Vice President Media Sports Programming IMG. "These eight players not only represent hundreds of victories around the world but they also hold the values and display the personality which makes this such a great game."

Couples, captain of the victorious U.S. Team in this year's Presidents Cup and a player on Jack’s U.S. team in the 2005 Presidents Cup, reached the age of 50 this fall. Winner of 15 PGA TOUR titles, including the 1992 Masters, Couples has been a fan favorite since the early 1980s.

"I could not think of a better way for me, personally, to start on the Champions Tour than to play in this format and have the chance to hang out with this group of players," said Couples. "I am sure there will be some ribbing going on. But, at the end of the day, I know these guys are in it to win. I love the format and really look forward to spending some time at such a fantastic spot."

In the Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME format, each hole becomes a tournament within itself and the prize money is carried over if no team wins the hole outright. The $770,000 purse is distributed to $30,000 for each of the first six holes, $40,000 for each of the middle six holes, $50,000 each for holes 13 through 17, and $100,000 for the 18th hole.

The players will donate 10 percent of their earnings to charity—half to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the other half to a charity of their choice. Jack Nicklaus will be playing for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.

"When you look at the field for the Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME, you see a group that is entertaining for both the spectator on hand and the international television audience," said Pete Derzis, general manager of ESPN Regional Television (ERT). "Make no mistake about it, these guys are very competitive and each team is trying to win the trophy. But each of these individuals also has a wonderful personality. Then you toss in the fact they are all gathered in Maui playing golf and you have a wonderful recipe for entertainment."

Here is a snapshot of the four teams:

Jack Nicklaus-Tom Watson: These two legends and Hall of Fame members have entertained and amazed sports fans for decades. Considered the greatest to play the game, Nicklaus started his professional career by winning the 1962 U.S. Open for the first of an unmatched 18 major championship titles. He is the Skins Game all-time leader in earnings and skins won. Watson excited the sports world earlier this year as he lead the British Open late into Sunday before losing a playoff to Stewart Cink. It would have been Watson's sixth Open title. Together this twosome has won 134 official events on both the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.

Ben Crenshaw-Fuzzy Zoeller: While Zoeller has won two consecutive competitions as an individual -- teaming with Peter Jacobsen in 2008 and Crenshaw in 2009 -- as a duo they hope to become the first team to win back-to-back titles. Hall of Fame member Crenshaw has accumulated 19 PGA TOUR victories, including the 1984 and 1995 Masters. Zoeller won the 1979 Masters, the 1984 U.S. Open and the 2002 Senior PGA Championship during a career that has included 12 victories.

Gary Player-Loren Roberts: This team is in place for the second time. They finished third with four skins in 2008. Roberts has won the Charles Schwab Cup title two of the past three years and has accumulated 11 wins on the Champions Tour, including three this year. Player has won 163 tournaments around the world, including nine major championship titles. The Hall of Fame member will be competing in this event for the 11th time.

Fred Couples-Nick Price: Not only is this Couples debut on the Champions Tour, both of these players will be making their first appearance in the Wendy's Champions SKINS GAME. They will also be the youngest team in the competition. Couples enjoyed his year as captain of the victorious U.S. team at the Presidents Cup this fall. He arrives on the Champions Tour with 15 career victories and has won the Tour's version of the Skins seven times. Price just completed his third year on the Champions Tour and picked up one win this year. He won 18 times on the TOUR.

View pre-event notes on the 2010 Wendy’s Champions Skins Game.