11.   Dole and the other major GOP candidates skipped the event in deference to Iowa, setting up a showdown between Gramm and Buchanan.

12.   Faxon is a huge fan of the British Open, and in the past he has criticized American players who have chosen to skip the event.

13.   George W. Bush was forced to skip the event in order to watch his wife receive an award in Texas.

14.   Gore, sensing the clash, carefully skipped the event.

15.   Gramm has shown no such reticence and, on arriving in the Arizona capital Friday afternoon, criticized Dole for skipping the event.

16.   He and Nelson have formed a bond through the years, however, and Woods never seriously considered skipping this event.

17.   He added that he had skipped the event because he was afraid it would confer legitimacy on something that should still be on the drawing board.

18.   Hull, who was invited to the ceremony on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, plans to skip the event.

19.   I am a friendly and sociable person, but I have a lot to do and I usually skip these events.

20.   In January, he won the Iowa caucuses, though McCain skipped the event.