Shane Lowry To Replace Injured Justin Thomas In The Skins Game

The day after US Thanksgiving, Black Friday, marks the return of The Skins Game to the calendar for the first time since 2008.

Initially, the four players slated to compete were Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Keegan Bradley and Justin Thomas.

However, the latter star will play no part in the contest after announcing that he has undergone her microdiscectomy to cure a disc problem in his back that had been causing him hip pain.

Thomas confirmed that his recovery would mean missing some events at the beginning of 2026, although he gave no timeframe as to when he might return to action.

Inevitably, that also meant he wouldn't take part in The Skins Game as planned, and his replacement for the event, which will take place at Panther National in South Florida on November 28th, will be 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry.

For Lowry, who is currently competing in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, it will be his first appearance stateside since helping Team Europe win the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black at the end of September.

It will also reunite him with Ryder Cup teammate Fleetwood, along with US captain Bradley and one of Team USA’s biggest names, Schauffele.

On that occasion, Lowry played a pivotal role, including holing the putt that ensured the Ryder Cup would stay in European hands for another two years.

The Skins Game won’t have anything like the same pressure attached to it, but its return, which will be broadcast on Prime Video, is still likely to prove popular at a time of the year known for more light-hearted events following the intensity of the regular season.

The Skins Game was first played in 1983, but its initial run ended after the 2008 edition. Now, 17 years on, the event will see a “reverse purse” format, where the four players each start with $1m, a figure that can go up or down depending on which holes are won and lost.

Thomas revealed his surgery on Friday via Instagram, posting a video and message where he explained: “I had a successful microdiscectomy performed yesterday at Hospital for Special Surgery in NY and have already been released from the hospital. I’m so grateful to the doctors and staff there for all their hard work and support.

"My next few weeks will be a lot of resting before the rehab process begins. I have a great team behind me who I fully trust to get me back to a better place than I was before!"

The former World No.1’s absence from The Skins Game will be a blow, not least because he was one of the designers of Panther National, which opened just two years ago, along with Jack Nicklaus.

The course, which is located only around half an hour from Thomas’ home, is a links-style layout on 400 acres.