CHAMPIONS SKINS GAME Palmer still making some changes after 50 years

The 74-year-old changed his putting grip and won two skins Friday.
WAILEA, Hawaii (AP) -- Even after 50 years of professional golf, Arnold Palmer is still making adjustments to his game.
Trying a cross-handed putting grip Friday, Palmer had four birdies in nine holes in the Champions Skins Game and finished the first day with $50,000 and two skins.
"All the years that I've played, I've only putted cross-handed a very few times and I said, 'You haven't won a skin in a couple years, you need to do something a little more dramatic,' " the 74-year-old star said.
"I made more birdies in that nine holes than I made most of this year. That was very encouraging for me."
The four birdies even surprised his opponents.
"Four birdies? Good gracious," said Jack Nicklaus, second with three skins and $60,000.
Watson leading
"I'm awful proud of this guy," said Tom Watson, the leader with $70,000 and three skins. "I told him not to do that at his age, but he can't hear or he doesn't listen."
Palmer said he's been "fooling" with his new style because he was putting so poorly. "I felt like I was stroking the ball good conventionally, but I wasn't making any putts," he said.
Watson, the 2003 Champions Tour player of the year, won all three of his skins with a birdie on the seventh hole to take the lead going into the back nine Saturday -- worth $390,000. Defending champion Lee Trevino was shut out in the first nine holes.
Nicklaus, sixth last week in the season-opening MasterCard Championship after turning 64, had the lead for most of the day after an eagle on the par-5 second gave him two skins and $40,000.
He reached the green with his 3-wood second shot on the 523-yard hole and sank a 15-foot putt for eagle. The $40,000 moved Nicklaus past Raymond Floyd ($1,630,000) on the Champions Skins career money list with $1,645,000.
Nicklaus earned another $20,000 with his 10-foot birdie on the par-4 fourth.
"It's been fun the last couple weeks playing golf," he said. "And I've had a hard time saying that the last couple years."
After the next two holes carried over, Watson made his go-ahead birdie putt. He blasted out of the bunker on the 555-yard hole to set up the birdie.
At 54, Watson is the youngest of the group and was clearly the longest hitter.
Watson has won 39 times on the PGA Tour, including eight majors. He won the Senior British Open and the Tradition last year, two majors on the Champions Tour.
Palmer struggled with his drives and tee shots, but was sharp with his putter.
Ends long drought
He snapped a two-year drought without a skin by birdieing the 175-yard third hole. Using his new putting grip, Palmer softly rolled in a 6-foot birdie putt to win the $20,000 skin.
The gallery roared as the players patted Palmer on the back. His previous skin was on the fourth hole in 2001.
Palmer then sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the 193-yard ninth for another $30,000.
This is the 16th Skins appearance in 17 years for Palmer, who won the event in 1990, 1992 and 1993. Nicklaus, the 1991 winner, is playing for the 14th time.
Conditions at the course were windless and warm.
The 6,835-yard Wailea Gold Course on Maui island runs along the base of the dormant volcano Haleakala and has 93 bunkers and one lake.
"The weather was perfect," Watson said. "The course was set up to make some birdies. I felt like I had an advantage out there because my length."