Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus will return for the 21st annual Wendy's Champions Skins Game when it makes its debut at Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course, Feb. 23 and 24. The $770,000 exhibition will have an eight-man field playing an alternate-shot format for the third straight year.

Palmer's partner will be Jay Haas. Nicklaus and Tom Watson will defend the title they won earlier this year at Wailea in overtime. On the final day, Watson's 18-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole gave the team $260,000. Gary Player and Haas collected $290,000 on Nos. 14 and 17. Both teams birdied the 18th hole — Player's approach rolling to 6 feet and Nicklaus's to 10 inches — to send all four teams to overtime. Player and Haas bogeyed the first extra hole to fall out of contention.

Other teams this year are Loren Roberts and Player, and Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobsen.

All four teams earned money last year. In skins, each hole is worth a designated amount. If no team wins the hole outright, the money carries over to the next hole. The first six holes are worth $30,000 each, the next six $40,000 and the next five $50,000. The 18th is $100,000.

Senior Skins has been played at Wailea the past seven years and was at Mauna Lani for 11 years before that. The first Senior Skins was at Turtle Bay in 1988, and the second at La Quinta in California.

Golfers will play nine holes each day. It will be broadcast on a same-day delay basis by ESPN.

AMATEURS TAKE LEAD IN GOVERNORS CUP

The amateurs hold a 6 1/2-5 1/2 lead over the professionals in the 35th Annual Governor John A. Burns Challenge Cup after two rounds yesterday at Mid-Pacific Country Club.

Amateurs Taeksoo Kim and Alex Ching combined to win their four-ball match play and foursome match play contests yesterday. Teammates Alex Chu and Chan Kim also won their matches.

The amateurs have won the cup 10 times in the history of the tournament.

The final round, which will be individual matches, starts today at 7:16 a.m. There is no admission charge.