Euros Win Golf Skills Challenge


Two members of the victorious 2012 European Ryder Cup team, England's Justin Rose and Sweden's Peter Hanson, won the Tyco Golf Skills Challenge on Monday.

The made-for-TV event, which will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis December 29-30 on NBC, was played at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.

Rose and Hanson, who earned $285,000, edged U.S. Ryder Cup rivals Dustin Johnson and Keegan Bradley in the Reverse Scramble finale to win the one-day event, which involves six skills: long drive, mid-iron, bunker shot, chip shot, trouble shot and short-iron, with the Reverse Scramble determining the winner.

For finishing second, the Americans took home $223,000. The duo of Mark O'Meara and Mark Calcavecchia from the Champions Tour finished third, earning $158,000, while Zach Johnson and Kyle Stanley of the PGA Tour took fourth and netted $134,000.

In the Reverse Scramble involves a team's opponent selecting which shot (usually the most difficult) its rival twosome must execute. The Reverse Scramble went to two tee-offs before it was decided in a chip-off. Hanson hit to within 2 feet, 10 inches, beating out Bradley's chip of 3 feet, 6 inches from the cup.

After they secured the title, Rose poured champagne over his partner. The 32-year-old Brit noted he used some of the competitiveness from the Ryder Cup - where he went 3-2 in five matches - to get fired up. "The Ryder Cup? It crosses your mind, I guess," he said.

"Emotions are high at the Ryder Cup, but you always have that respect. Here, you still want to feel that adrenaline. The competitive juices always flow."

Bradley, who made some big putts in the scramble, complimented the winners. "Those guys are great competitors and it is a tough format," said the 2011 PGA champion. "There was a lot of action and we hung in there."