By BERNIE WILSON / AP Sports Writer

Published: Sunday, November 27, 2005
Updated: Saturday, November 26, 2005 11:44 PM CST

LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) - Nice skirt, Funky.

In a Skins Game first, Fred Funk played a hole worth $75,000 while wearing a pink flowered skirt, his penalty for being outdriven by Annika Sorenstam.

But the 49-year-old Funk got the last laugh on a silly Saturday in the desert, rolling in a 15-foot eagle putt from the fringe on No. 9 to win $225,000 and six skins.

Fred Couples, the King of Skins, could have halved No. 9 and carried the big pot over until Sunday, but his 12-foot eagle putt curled just to the right.

Tiger Woods was the only other member of the foursome to cash in during the first nine holes at Trilogy Golf Course, winning three skins and $75,000 on No. 3, the hole that had everyone laughing.

The final nine holes of the made-for-TV tournament will be played Sunday, with $700,000 up for grabs.

Woods ignited a battle of the sexes by ribbing Funk that he'd never hear the end of it if Sorenstam outdrove him even once during the Skins Game, which is sponsored by Merrill Lynch.

After coming close on the first two holes, Sorenstam outdrove Funk by seven yards on the third hole.

Funk had agreed beforehand to wear the skirt for the entire hole if Sorenstam outdrove him. He just didn't imagine having to wear it so early.

Because of the angle, Funk's ball technically was closer to the hole. But Sorenstam's ball had sailed 278 yards off the tee and Funk's 271 yards.

Sorenstam pulled the skirt out of her bag and Funk, known for his short but straight tee shots, gamely pulled it on over his pants before hitting his approach shot into the rough.

Sorenstam signed the skirt while Funk was still wearing it.

While squatting down to line up his putt, Funk asked Woods, “What do you think?”

Woods' sidesplitting response was much more suited for the locker room than national TV.

Funk's birdie putt missed to the right and Woods made a short putt to win $75,000 and three skins.

As he walked off the green, still laughing, Woods said: “I don't think anybody will remember me winning skins here.”

Funk, playing in his first Skins Game, got his payback when he kept Sorenstam from winning $75,000 on the par-3 No. 6.

Sorenstam's beautiful tee shot landed 2 feet from the pin, seemingly a gimme for the cash. After she watched Woods and Couples fail to make birdie, Funk rammed home a 20-foot birdie putt. Sorenstam took the ball out of the cup and threw it into an adjoining lake before making her putt to halve the hole.

On No. 7, Woods had a chance to win $125,000 but rolled his 15-foot birdie putt just right.

Couples could have won $175,000 and five skins if his downhill putt from just on the fringe hadn't gone left on No. 8.