On the count of three, the six lofted shots toward the green with $4,000 for charity at stake.

Self’s chip hit the flag and nestled within two feet of the hole, his attempt better than those of Roberts Dairy Skins Game partner Tom Watson, as well as Dana Quigley, George Brett, Jim Colbert and Bob Huggins.

The chip drew wild applause from a gallery of about 4,500 as the Jayhawk coach claimed victory on the final-hole, closest-to-the-pin tiebreaker.

“I thought it had a chance to go in : I really did,” Self said after his team won just the one skin, while Brett and Quigley took five skins and $16,000 at the event held in conjunction with this week’s Greater Kansas City Golf Classic.

Rachel Seymour

The team of Huggins and Colbert didn’t win a skin in the nine-hole competition, but still netted $2,000 for charity. Each team was awarded $2,000 just for entering, meaning Self and Watson earned $6,000 total.

“That was about the only thing I did right today,” Self said of his final shot.

Self had problems with his putter in the alternate-shot format, failing to cash 15-, 8- and 7-foot putts that could have won skins had they dropped.

“I am disappointed. I wish I had putted better. I didn’t do anything on the greens to help our team,” Self said.

His finest shot of the day – besides the tiebreaker chip shot – was a 260-yard fairway wood on the par-5 No. 6 hole that put his team on the back fringe of the green in two strokes.

Rachel Seymour

“I had high expectations coming in,” Self noted. “But the way George hit it off the tee, he was playing in another league today.”

Baseball Hall of Famer Brett hit several monstrous drives, and pro partner and defending Greater Kansas City Golf Classic champion Quigley plopped several chip shots within five feet of the hole which led to the five skins.

“George hit it about as far and as well as you possibly can,” Self said.

“It was all in great fun, and I had a strong partner in George,” Quigley noted.

The team of current Kansas State hoops coach Huggins and pro golfer and KSU graduate Colbert found several sand traps – “Hey, we like it in there,” Colbert joked when needled by Brett – and struggled all day.

“Sore, pretty sore,” Huggins said, asked how his aching back felt during the competition. “I’ll have to play better or they won’t invite me back again.”

Self and KSU coach Huggins chatted as they walked down the fairway on several occasions, Colbert chirping, “Coach Huggins is our big KU fan,” to Self.

“I didn’t help Bob out,” Colbert said. “I hit every bunker on the golf course. He didn’t get much of a chance to display his game.”

Huggins at one point sculled the ball out of one No. 4 hole fairway bunker into another. The bunker mentality was subject of jokes by the competitors.

“Where are you, Bob?” Watson bellowed, losing sight of Huggins, who was buried deep in a bunker.

“How’s your bunker play, coach?” Colbert grinned after smashing a drive in the sand.

“I’m not comfortable with any club,” responded Huggins, who has not golfed much since suffering a shoulder injury sustained falling when he had a heart attack in 2002.

Other comments heard by golfers during the round …

¢ “Another great start,” Self groaned after two putting from five feet on the first hole.

¢ “Coach, you had a lot of freshmen last year,” Colbert said on the No. 4 fairway. “A bunch,” Self agreed. “We started with four and ended up with three,” referring to the transfer of Micah Downs.

¢ “I wonder what Brett is gonna do when he gets to 50?” Colbert said, perhaps encouraging Brett to join the Champions Tour, which is for golfers 50 and over. Brett is 53.

¢ “He hit some good putts that didn’t go in,” 810 radio announcer Danny Clinkscale said in filing a cell-phone report for his station. “They weren’t good putts,” Self corrected as he walked by on the No. 5 fairway, overhearing the conversation about his own putting game.

¢ “Just a free throw coach,” Colbert said to Self, putting pressure on Self, who approached his 10-foot birdie try on No. 6, which slid by.

¢ “How you guys like this game?” Colbert said to Quigley on No. 8 after the Brett-Quigley team won its fifth skin, at that point the only team to win a skin.

“I’m thinking of playing another nine,” Quigley responded.

¢ “That had to feel good,” Watson said to Self after Self hit from 150 yards onto the green on No. 18, which was played as the final hole instead of hole No. 9.

“At least you’re putting,” Self said with a smile.

¢ Charities: Here are the charities the golfers played for: Self (Scott Carter Foundation), Colbert (Kansas State University golf course management and research foundation), Brett (ALS), Watson (Children’s Mercy Hospital), Huggins (Boys and Girls Club of Manhattan), Quigley (University of Rhode Island golf team).

¢ Rivalry talk: Self, who is a 13-handicap golfer, and Huggins, a 23-handicap, held a pre-tournament press conference discussing golf and basketball.

On the KU-KSU rivalry, Huggins said: “I’m 0-1. Bill beat us in 2000 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (when Self was at Tulsa).

“You have to win one once in a while to have it a rivalry. Winning at home would be nice. It might start a rivalry. You have to play for something.”

Self noted: “When we played in 2000, it was the year Cincinnati had the best team in the country. Kenyon (Martin) broke his leg in the first round of the conference tournament. They had a legitimate shot to win the championship (until Martin went down).

“Since then we’ve had dinner a couple of times. I enjoy coach. His record speaks for itself. His record ranks up there with coach K (Mike Krzyzewski), Tark (Jerry Tarkanian), Roy (Williams). I look forward for our relationship to continue. The Kansas-Kansas State rivalry : coach being around will add a lot of spice to it. It’s the way it should be.”

¢ On the NCAA Tournament possibly growing to 128 teams: “I wouldn’t be surprised if in five, 10 years it expanded,” Self said. “Maybe some play in games, increase the field to 72 to 80 teams.”

“I felt all along they should let everybody in,” Huggins said. “But they might have to look at the criteria what a Div. I school is. If they let everybody in, a lot of schools will jump to Div. I.”