Palmer Will Play in 1985 Skins Game at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta

The 1985 Skins Game will be staged in Southern California and will feature an increased purse and the return of Arnold Palmer, tournament organizers announced Monday.

The two-day, 18-hole event will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta, Calif., southeast of Los Angeles in the Rancho California area. For the first time, the event will be sanctioned by the PGA Tour.

Palmer, 55, was announced as the sponsors’ selection and will join defending champion Nicklaus in the four-man field. The other two competitors will be announced.

“During the first two years of its existence, the Skins Game added greatly to the public’s interest in golf,” said Deane Beman, PGA Tour commissioner. “The Tour is very pleased to add the Skins Game to its official family.”

The purse has been increased from $360,000 to $450,000. The breakdown is $15,000 for each of the first six holes, $25,000 for each of the next six, and $35,000 for each of the last six. If no player wins a hole, the prize money is carried over to the next hole.

Last year, Nicklaus made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at the Desert Highlands Country Club course in Scottsdale, Ariz. which, with carry-overs, was worth $240,000.

The Skins Game will be televised nationally by NBC.