The Skins Game made its first return on Thanksgiving Day since 2008, and fans were eager to see who’d walk away with the $2 million purse. But funnily, the biggest story of the night became about Xander Schauffele not winning a single dollar. Even bigger story than this was how Justin Thomas took to X and posted the picture of Schauffele holding the giant cheque, which read “zero dollars” in bold letters.

“Like this message if you won the same amount of skins as @XSchauffele today @the_skins_game. Love you, brother!!!” Thomas wrote, inviting everyone else to join in on the harmless joke.

Even when the PGA Tour posted the same photo on its Instagram account, with a hilarious caption, “Big pay day for the X man 💸”, the comment section had a field day with it. Si-Woo Kim, the 2017 PLAYERS Championship winner, commented, “@xanderschauffele pls try deposit asap 😂”. As if Xander Schauffele might actually walk into a bank and give it a shot.

Luke Donald couldn’t resist getting in on the joke, too, but with a more supportive tone. “Xander, still the man,” he commented. He was probably the only one not taking a swing at Schauffele’s empty cheque, offering the closest thing to a pat on the back in a comment section full of friendly jabs.

All of this landed even better because Schauffele received the whole moment with full ceremony, as if he were being handed a seven-figure prize instead of one that said zero on it. He posed with the oversized check, smiled, held it up for the cameras, and walked through the motions like a man accepting a real winner’s payday. The broadcasters leaned into the performance, and Schauffele played along, turning an awkward outcome into the most memorable moment of the night.

In fact. earlier during the night, when asked how he’d feel if he finished with the same number of skins as a media member who wasn’t even playing, Schauffele answered honestly — “Pretty sh**ty.” Minutes later, that scenario became reality.

The event featured Schauffele, Keegan Bradley, Tommy Fleetwood, and Shane Lowry in a ‘reverse purse’ format. Lowry was, in fact, playing in Justin Thomas’ spot. Thomas was initially roped in for the Skins Game comeback at Panther National, as it was being played on a course designed by him and Jack Nicklaus. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, he had to undergo a microdiscectomy and had to withdraw from the event, leaving the door open for Lowry to step in at the last minute.

While Schauffele became the joke of the night, Keegan Bradley walked away with the $2.1 million paycheck.

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Keegan Bradley finishes as the Skins Game champion

Keegan Bradley’s performance at the Skins Game deserved its own spotlight. While the jokes circled elsewhere, Bradley quietly dominated with 11 skins and walked away with a record-setting $2.1 million, the largest purse in the Skins Game’s history. It wasn’t just a win for him, though.

It was a statement, especially considering the past two difficult months after captaining the U.S. Ryder Cup team to a loss at Bethpage Black. Even Shane Lowry joked about it earlier during a press conference for the event, saying, “I have just spent the last few months breaking Keegan Bradley’s heart.”

But on this stage, Bradley looked anything but defeated. He birdied the par-3 13th to win four skins worth $900,000, the most ever won on a single hole in the event. “I was really, really nervous about that putt,” he admitted. He’d already added another $300,000 earlier with a birdie on the 8th, bumping his total past $1.6 million before he stole the show.

With Tommy Fleetwood scooping up three carryover skins on the final hole for $1,125,000, and Shane Lowry earning a lone skin worth $200,000, Bradley still stood well clear of the field. Justin Thomas, who was watching the whole ordeal from his home, probably seated on a recliner, requested Bradley for dinner.

“Good fun, boys, and well done @Keegan_Bradley on the @the_skins_game victory. Dinner on you next time!!!” It felt fitting, after all, Bradley walked away with the biggest cheque, and maybe even a bit of Ryder Cup redemption.