Sure, his body hurts. That’s to be expected after all the injuries and surgeries that he has had over the years. Yet after playing six competitive rounds of golf in the last two weeks—five of them walking, one riding in a golf cart—the 15-time major champion was pleased with how he felt upon wrapping up a fourth consecutive appearance with son Charlie at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

“I think that a lot of things are aching a lot more than my ankle, which is the way it goes,” said Woods, who had surgery on his right ankle in April after withdrawing from the Masters prior to the third round. “I’ll be able to walk and play. We’ve been working out hard, been able to recover. We’ve been training every day, which is great. It’s been nice to knock off a lot of the rust and some of the doubt that I’ve had because quite frankly I haven’t hit a shot that counted in a long time.”

The Woods shot 64-61 to tie for fifth place at 19 under par, six shots behind Bernhard and Jason Langer at 25 under. The winning duo shot 60-59 and Bernhard, 66, won this championship for the fifth time overall, the third time with Jason. David Duval and his son Brady eagled the final hole to sneak by the Singhs to grab second place.

A year ago, Woods was set to play in the Hero World Challenge, but withdrew late because of plantar fasciitis. He did, however, play the 2023 PNC, but rode in a golf cart for the 36-hole event.

This year, he opened his PGA Tour season with a tie for 45th place at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, then made the cut at the Masters before the WD. He did not appear in another event until the Hero two weeks ago in the Bahamas, where he shot 75-70-71-72 to finish 18th in the 20-man field.

The PNC Championship is more about fun than competition. Woods played in the pro-am Friday with Annika Sorenstam and her son Will McGee, then played in the first round with his buddy Justin Thomas and his father Mike. Woods made it a full family affair by having his daughter Sam serve as caddie for both days, something she had never done.

On Sunday, playing with Steve Stricker and his daughter Izzi, the Woods were too far off the lead to really contend—coming off an opening round in which Charlie proclaimed “we just suck at putting”—and sputtered at the start, making par on three of the first four holes. But Tiger rolled in an eagle putt on the fifth hole and then Charlie provided the loudest roars of the day when he chipped in from short, left of the green on the par-4 ninth hole. A Tiger-like fist pump followed the feat.

CHARLIE WOODS!!

A chip-in birdie for Team Woods @PNCChampionship ? pic.twitter.com/0nh0KdP0JV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 17, 2023

They turned in 31, added six more birdies over the final nine holes and proclaimed the week a success even though they fell short of their goal.

“Well, you had to hit a lot of different shots,” said Tiger, who will turn 48 on Dec. 30. “But at the end of the day, it’s a scramble. We get ball-in-hand, and to be able to tee the ball up, this would have been a very different day if we had to play the ball down or we couldn’t tee it up and put the ball-in-hand.

“I was able to hit a lot of little nifty little shots, like 10, or some of the shots I hit pin-high just because we had ball-in-hand. But the fact that I was able to hit the shots both ways, which was nice.”

Where Tiger plays next is unclear, but he indicated two weeks ago that he would love to play in one event a month starting most likely in February at the Genesis Invitational, which benefits his Tiger Woods Foundation. If healthy, that means a schedule of something like the Genesis, Players, Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and Open Championship are all possibilities. And yes, he still believes he can win again.

“I think given the fact that, if I’m able to practice and do the things that I know I can do, and prepare, I know that I can still do it,” he said. “I can still hit the golf ball. It’s just a matter of prepping and get enough reps in and get enough work in and being right physically and the endurance capability of it.

“I know if I can practice, I know I can still do it. I can still hit the golf ball. I can still chip. I can still putt. Granted it’s also putting it all together for 72 holes. That’s the challenging part of it.”

Main Image: Andrew Redington

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This little nugget serves as breaking news coming from golf’s ironman who has been winning everything in front of him for more than four decades. Yes, the man does take time off from the game.

“From now on, I’m on vacation,” Langer said, standing with son Jason. “So this is a bonus here … we’re heading tomorrow to Europe, to Germany, to spend time over there.”

Langer certainly deserved the rest and relaxation after another year of grinding on PGA Tour Champions. At 66, he played in 24 events, collected 21 top-25 finishes, and won twice, including the U.S. Senior Open in July, his 12th career senior major. It also allowed him to set the record for most PGA Tour Champions wins at 46, breaking Hale Irwin’s seemingly unbreakable mark.

Sunday at the PNC Championship, the Langers started the day three shots behind Matt Kuchar and his son Cameron, but they erased that deficit in just three holes. The Langers birdied each of the first seven holes—while the Kuchars’ putters ran cold—and shot 28 on the front nine with another birdie on the ninth hole. By that time, they built an insurmountable lead and with five birdies on the back they were the lone team to break 60 in the final round, good enough for a two-stroke victory over David Duval and his son Brady, who made eagle on the last hole to sneak by the Singhs. The Langers shot 25-under total for two days.

“Just it’s always special whether you win or not, just being here is like the Olympics,” Bernhard said. “They only take 20 teams and there’s probably 25 on the waiting list that would love to be here. It’s always a wonderful thing to get an invitation to come and play here, and as you all know, I’ve got four kids, played with all four of them, and we have a lot of wonderful memories.”

Jason Langer, 23, and a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania who now works in Manhattan, has bragging rights over his two sisters and brother. He’s now paired with his father to win three of the five PNC Championships.

Bernhard and Jason Langer win PNC Championship – Mike Mulholland

“I’m the youngest of four of my other three siblings, they are all married and have kids,” Jason said. “They are at a bit of a different stage of life than me. In years past, multiple people wanted to play and we were all sort of playing golf and we wanted to play. Maybe had a qualifier one year or we kind of alternated. This year, no one was really vying for this other than me, and I got the nod.

“It was a ton of fun. I said it earlier, but I don’t get to play as much golf anymore, and I don’t get to see my parents and my family quite as much anymore. To be able to play golf as a family and in a beautiful spot and great competition and play a really good golf course, it’s amazing.”

Now Bernhard heads to his beloved Germany with yet another trophy to add to his impressive collection that includes two green jackets from winning the Masters in 1985 and 1993.

“We look forward to be home skiing for a couple of days and spend time in the snow,” Bernhard said. “It was the weirdest thing for me when I came over here to live in America and married a woman from Florida, and spending Christmas Day in 80 degrees of weather was kind of, this is not Christmas, you know. I always related Christmas with cold and snow or ice or something like that. But we got used to it. So it will be nice to go back and see some of my family.”

Main Image: SOPA Images

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Returning to the PNC Championship for the fourth time, Team Woods will be looking to improve on their best finish of T2 in 2021.

Fifteen-time major winner Woods commented, “It is an amazing gift to be able to share my love of golf with Charlie and we genuinely do look forward to playing in the PNC Championship all year. Competing together, against a field of so many golfing greats and their families, is so special.”

Six-time major winner, Lee Trevino will be making his 26^th appearance in the PNC Championship, the only golfer to have played in every edition. Turning 84 at the start of December, he enjoyed his best finish just two years ago when he finished third, playing with grandson Daniel.

Padraig Harrington, who recently added a sixth Champions Tour title to his remarkable resume, is returning to Grande Lakes for a sixth time, but this year he will be partnering his youngest son, Ciaran.

Harrington explained, “Ciaran has been working hard on his game recently and he wanted to have his turn. It was actually Ciaran watching Paddy and I play together out there these last couple of years that really ignited his passion for the game, which shows what a very special event this is. He must have watched me play in hundreds of events over the years and it has taken the unique atmosphere and experience of the PNC Championship to inspire him!”

The only team making their debut this year is Steve Stricker and daughter, Izzi, completing the 20-team line-up for the 26th edition of the PNC Championship.

The 20-player final field for the 2023 PNC Championship is:

This is PNC Bank’s 12th year as the tournament’s title sponsor. The event was renamed the PNC Championship in 2020, reflecting the world class talent and special bonds that characterize this inclusive family tournament.

Last year, the PNC Championship gathered a field of golfing greats that had won 73 major titles. With only 20 teams competing, players past and present have shown unprecedented interest in campaigning for a spot in the star-studded line-up.

The PNC Championship has continued to evolve and develop since the inaugural tournament in 1995, when 10 major winners gathered with their sons. The tournament now features 20 major champions and their relatives competing in a two-day, 36-hole scramble for the Willie Park Trophy.

To qualify for the PNC Championship, players must have won a major championship or The Players Championship. Their partner must not hold any playing status on a professional Tour.

Image: Getty Images

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“Come here young man,” the 87-year-old Player said. He signed his flag and quizzed the boy with some basic questions. Do you play golf? He did. Could you break 90? He could. Turns out, he’s a junior golfer who takes the game quite seriously.

“Great!” Player says. “Listen, I have two things I want you to know.”

1. Right elbow in, and turn

The exchange only lasted about two minutes — Player was due on the tee soon — but it was jam-packed with the kind of information that had the assembled crowd leaning in curiously.

Player’s first piece of advice involved the full swing.

“There are so many good players that stand over the ball, they’re thinking so much. They get paralysis by analysis,” Player said.

There’s nothing worse for a junior golfer, he explains. Keep thoughts at a minimum. The nine-time major champion took his golf posture cocked his arm into a position as if he was preparing to skip a stone.

“Once your arm is here position, turn your core, back and through,” he said demonstrating. “Hard as you can. Nothing else.”

2. Focus on one dimple

The second piece of advice was a putting tip. Again, with a clear mind, he told the boy: “Pick out one dimple on the golf ball,” he said. “Watch the blade hit that dimple, and only then, look up. You’ll remember that?”

The boy nodded his head. Player shook his hand and walked to the first. Behind him, he left some gems of advice in his wake — and a story one junior will never forget.

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The 2022 PNC Championship didn’t by any means have the stakes of a US Open or Masters, but as Tiger has told us many times, he doesn’t enter tournaments to finish in second place. He was at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club this past week, competing with his 13-year-old son, Charlie, in the two-player team event, to win.

The problem was that neither Woods had their best stuff.

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Mind you, despite having played just nine competitive rounds on the PGA Tour this year, the most recent coming five months ago, Tiger’s swing was impressive at times during the two-day exhibition. He drove his ball past Justin Thomas on multiple occasions and flagged a series of long irons to set up birdie opportunities. But even during the good rounds, in 2022, there’s no escaping reality for Tiger.

“The plantar fasciitis is no fun,” Woods said on Sunday, after finishing T-8 with Charlie in their third PNC start. “We were both like walking penguins out there.”

The other penguin, Charlie, was also working through some pain. What he called a “minor, very minor” ankle injury in preparing for this event meant he struggled with his swing all weekend. He found more of a groove on Sunday after a subtle breakthrough on the range ahead of the event. He swung keeping more weight on his trail leg, and played a big cut. It became the day’s go-to shot.

“That’s all I got,” he said to his dad.

“I got ya’ bud,” Tiger responded.

Charlie’s about to tee off. He’s wearing a sneaker on his left foot to let his injured ankle spin out.

Kid is a trooper. pic.twitter.com/YJZ44QoOQQ

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) December 17, 2022

Team Woods followed a 13-under 59 on Saturday with a seven-under 65 on Sunday, their 20-under total leaving them six back of eventual winners, Vijay and Qass Singh. For Team Woods, the event became about other things: The bonding experience between father and son, and their family friends on Team Thomas.

And, perhaps most important of all, an opportunity for Charlie to learn his dad’s superpower of fighting through.

“It’s probably a great learning opportunity for Charlie,” Justin Thomas, who finished two back of Team Singh, said. “To be in competition and just being like, ‘Hey, I didn’t have my best stuff.’”

At the same time, Charlie was also impressed at what he saw from his dad.

“I feel like I already knew what he was capable of,” Charlie said, “and then yesterday, that’s the best he’s ever played in a while, and that kind of shocked me a little bit.”

“I used to be good,” Tiger responded with a smirk.

In many ways it was a fitting end for the 2022 season for Tiger, and a reminder of what’s ahead of the man who turns 47 next week. Teeing it up at all during the Masters in April was a victory in itself, and a platform to build upon that was never quite realised. In obvious discomfort at the PGA Championship in May, Tiger withdrew after three rounds and skipped the US Open. The Open returning to St Andrews in July, where he missed the cut, proved another false dawn, as did his planned return at the Hero World Challenge, the tournament he hosts and which he pulled out of just three days ahead of the opening round.

“It was a tough year,” he said on Sunday, “but also one of the more rewarding years I’ve had in a while.”

Now that the PNC is in the books, Tiger knows what to do next.

“Now I get to truly recover and heal and progress forward on this,” Woods said, “because there’s so many good things that I’ve been able to do physically, be able to hit the golf ball and practice and do everything in a standstill. But I haven’t been able to get from point A to point B, and we’re obviously going to work on this.”

It’s a cliché to call this Tiger’s new normal, but that’s what it is. His offseason will be filled with work to get his body back into shape, as he prepares to fight through another season. Tiger knows no other way of operating. If the Masters in April is indeed his next start, as many expect, we likely won’t see him at his best. Tiger knows that, too.

But Tiger also knows we doesn’t need his best stuff to give us something special.

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However, the 20 pros in the field didn’t just turn the competitive side of their brains off because their hearts were melting while playing with a dad or a son. On Sunday, Vijay Singh and his son Qass, playing in the event for the 16th time, rallied from two shots back of Justin and Mike Thomas to take the title for the first time (after eight top-five finishes) with a closing 59 in the scramble format.

The Singhs’ 26-under 118 total — accomplished by becoming the first team to shoot back-to-back sub-60 rounds in the 25th playing of the event — allowed them to hold off another comeback challenge from John Daly and his son John II, the defending champs, who shot a closing 59 to finish two shots short.

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“Every year we came here from the very first time I wanted to win this, we wanted to get it together. And it got harder and harder,” said Vijay, who turns 60 in February. “Each time we went out as the first loser or second loser. But never won. And we’d talk about it a lot, ‘OK next year we’re going to go back and win it.’ And to finally do it, it means a lot. This is one of the highlights of my career. Doing it with him and seeing him hit so many great shots when we needed to, you know it’s a great feeling. I’ll keep this forever.”

The Thomases threatened on the back nine to win for a second time in three years, but faltered with a final-round 63 to finish to also tied for second.

Tiger and Charlie Woods also started Sunday two shots off the lead but couldn’t find the same final-day magic they did a year ago (when they made 11 straight birdies to finish in second). They shot a seven-under 65 to finish tied for eighth.

The victory comes with a nominal financial reward, but more importantly brings with it a sense of pride in being to say you won a golf title with one of the closest people in your life. That’s a memory that lives forever.

All that said, there was some money on the line for winning the event. The overall prize money payout is $1.085 million with Vijay earning $200,000 for his team’s victory.

Here’s the prize money payout breakdown for every team at this week’s event.

Win: Vijay & Qass Singh, -26, $200,000
T-2: John & John II Daly, -24, $68,625
T-2: Justin & Mike Thomas, -24, $68,625
4: Padraig & Patrick Harrington, -22, $50,000
T-5: Matt & Carson Kuchar, -21, $48,000
T-5: Nelly & Petr Kuchar, -21, $48,000
T-5: Bernhard & Jason Langer, -21, $48,000
T-8: Tiger & Charlie Woods, -20, $45,166
T-8: Mark & Shaun O’Meara, -20, $45,166
T-8: Jordan & Shawn Spieth, -20, $45,166
11: Stewart & Connor Cink $44,000
12: David & Brady Duval, -18, $43,500
T-13: Lee & Daniel Trevino, -17, $42,750
T-13: Tom & Sean Lehman, -17, $42,750
T-15: Nick & Matthew Faldo, -16, $41,750

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The 2022 PNC Championship marks the third consecutive start for Team Woods, the third year we get a glimpse of a different side of Tiger. He’s not a 15-time major champion here. He’s just a dad stewarding his son, an avid junior golfer, as he grows through the game.

Each year, Charlie, now 13, has come back a little different. He arrived bigger and stronger this year, but also nursing an ankle injury from his preparation for this event.

“On some shots it hurt a lot. Walking was tough,” Charlie said on Saturday evening, speaking to the media for the first time ever after a PNC round. “Walking was tough.”

The pain became obvious to all during his pro-am, when Charlie’s leg buckled after a drive on his back nine. On the range ahead of his first round, Charlie ditched his left golf shoe at one point and wore a sneaker instead. He needed something with less traction that would allow his ankle to spin out and prevent more pain. He wore it on the first tee, then reverted to his golf shoes and shared a cart with his dad for the rest of the day.

Charlie’s about to tee off. He’s wearing a sneaker on his left foot to let his injured ankle spin out.

Kid is a trooper. pic.twitter.com/YJZ44QoOQQ

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) December 17, 2022

He wasn’t at his best. But that’s what teammates are for.

“You telling me you need me to hit a good drive here?” Tiger jokingly asked Charlie on the first tee, before firing a fade down the left side.

Tiger, indeed, rose to the challenge. He chipped in for eagle on the fifth hole and was more dependable than ever off the tee. He touched 180-mph ball speed a few holes later, turbo-charging an eight-hole stretch that the pair played in nine under par.

“It’s what I’ve been saying,” Tiger said of his leg. “I can hit the golf ball. I just have a tougher time getting from Point A to Point B.”

“He 100 per cent hits it farther than I do with the driver right now,” Justin Thomas, who played alongside of Team Woods with his dad Mike, said the elder Woods. “When he’s feeling well and moving well like he was today, he can do anything he wants.”

Tiger bombed another drive off 18, then stuck one to within 20 feet Charlie stepped up and made the putt for a 13-under 59, leaving the two-man scramble team two back of the Thomases, who combined to make two eagles and 11 birdies in shooting their 57. The foursome will play together again in the final group on Sunday.

“He played great,” Charlie said of his dad. “He had to carry me all day.”

Early fist pump for Team Woods ? @TigerWoods chips in for eagle @PNCChampionship. pic.twitter.com/bZIjcRHFOd

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 17, 2022

We’ve all had those days, when we’re not feeling our best and playing the way we wanted. Tiger has certainly had his fair share. And when he looks at his son, that’s the essential skill he sees him learning.

“Playing tournament golf, you’ve got to make a switch on the fly and trust it,” Tiger said a day earlier. “And that’s where I’ve seen the biggest growth when I’ve caddied for him in events or I’ve watched him play.”

There’s the putter raise from Charlie.

Team Woods is feeling it @PNCChampionship ? pic.twitter.com/TUEsjVG3nh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 17, 2022

Saturday at the PNC was another lesson in that regard. It wasn’t what Charlie would’ve wanted, but it’s a round he can be proud of nonetheless. Tiger certainly was, and leaving the course on Saturday, the score on the leaderboard was the last thing on his mind.

“We have fun out there. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about. It’s about us having an opportunity to bond,” said Tiger, who joked that they were ‘Team Ice Bath.’ “It’s just an amazing relationship, and it just deepens the bond between father and son. It’s been incredible over the years to be able to share this stage and this atmosphere with him.”

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On Wednesday, Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis reported that the 13-year-old Charlie is moving back not one, but two tee boxes for this week’s competition. It’s probably the correct and fair move considering Woods said Charlie recently outdrove him, but it’s also going to make shooting a two-day total of 25-under again more challenging.

Charlie Woods will play one up from the championship tees at the @PNCchampionship which is two tees back from where he played last year. As for now, the committee deciding with his length 13 yo Charlie will play from the same tee as @VijaySinghGolf, @PGA_JohnDaly & @NellyKorda.

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) December 14, 2022

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As you can see, Charlie still won’t be playing the tips like his dad, but he’ll be playing from the same tees as senior pros such as John Daly and Vijay Singh as well as LPGA star Nelly Korda. That’s a lot of respect for the young man!

But it also could have an effect on his old man. A familiar sight during last year’s tournament was Tiger watching Charlie tee off first up ahead and then not even bothering to hit his own drive before hopping back in a golf cart. The two reeled off a tournament record 11 consecutive birdies during the final round. Now they might need to use Tiger’s tee shots more. Meaning more exertion for the 15-time major champ battling plantar fasciitis among other physical ailments as he nears his 47th birthday at the end of the month.

Lewis said in a later tweet that Charlie will be playing from the tees measuring 6,754 yards on the card at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club’s Lakes Course in Orlando. The course tips out at more than 7,100 yards.

The PNC Championship may be part of golf’s unofficial silly season, but its participants still want to win prize money and bragging rights. At the very least, though, those playing this week are bound to make amazing memories — regardless of what tees they play from.

UPDATE: Apparently, the tournament committee has changed its mind:

The committee for the @PNCchampionship reconsidered and decided to move Charlie Woods to the tee markers designed for 65-72 yo male pros, LPGA pros over 50 & family members age 12-13 yo. Charlie is 13 and will now play at 6,452 yds instead of 6,754 yds as previously planned.

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) December 15, 2022

It’s still farther back than Charlie played a year ago, but it also seems like a fair compromise. He is only 13 after all. And thus ends #Teegate. We think. For now.

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Later this week comes another experience that Will is never going to forget. This time, he’ll be on the same course, in the same tournament with Tiger and his 13-year-old son, Charlie, as Will and his mother combine to compete for the first time in the PNC Championship in Orlando.

Once a father-and-son outing until Sorenstam played with her father in 2019, the event staged officially by the PGA Tour Champions, has nicely evolved to include female players. This year the women are represented by Sorenstam and LPGA star Nelly Korda, the World No. 2 who returns for another appearance with her father, tennis star Petr.

This made my day. #TheMatch @ANNIKA59 @TigerWoods @PelicanGolfClub pic.twitter.com/0Pw1lW7Nml

— Mike McGee (@MikeMcGeeAnnika) December 11, 2022

There are 20 teams in total that will compete over 36 holes on Saturday and Sunday in the two-person scramble at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. As always, much of the attention will be focused on Team Woods, with Tiger and Charlie making their third appearance and coming off a runner-up finish last year when they produced a stunning Sunday round that included 11 consecutive birdies. They lost by two shots to John Daly and his son, John II, who set a tournament record by shooting a 27-under 117.

Tiger Woods, of course, is coming off his appearance in The Match after he had to withdraw from his own Hero World Challenge because of plantar fasciitis. Woods looked considerably hobbled while playing with Rory McIlroy in their loss to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas under the lights, and it remains to be seen if he and Charlie can be much of a factor this time around.

There are plenty of other teams to watch, and here are a few we’re looking forward to seeing.

Team Sorenstam

Mum is a Hall of Famer and one of the most talented women ever to play the game, and it sounds as if her son is as golf-obsessed as she is.
“It’s insane how excited he is,” Sorenstam said of Will in an interview with GolfChannel.com in November. “We were there [at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club] before Thanksgiving playing and we were on the putting green and he’s like: ‘Mommy, in a few weeks I’ll be putting with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.’ He’s a golf nut, he’s a golf fan, he watches everything, and for him to be part of this event and his name is in a press release with Tiger, it’s his dream. And what a dream right? And I’m just proud to be a part of it with him.”
At 11, Will is the same age as Charlie Woods when the latter first played in the PNC, and it was seeing Charlie on TV that got Will begging his mum to give him a shot.
“I just want him to have a good time and just kind of think of what golf has meant to us,” Sorenstam said. “We know what we’re capable of; it’s gonna be hard to beat all of them, but to us, it’s a lot more than the score. If you want to inspire somebody, if you want to motivate somebody, this is it.”

Annika Sorenstam’s son Will McGee. Naomi Baker

Will added: “I’m just really excited to be able to play in a tournament with all these professionals that have won many majors. And then just have fun with my mom.”
Will was asked if his mum gives him tips, and he didn’t hold back with a bit of a needle for her. “She gives me good advice,” he said, “but I don’t listen most of the time.”
Will, who competed in his first US Kids World Championship in August, made headlines early in the summer when the family was at Pinehurst in North Carolina while Annika competed in the US Women’s Open at Pine Needles. On a trip to Pinehurst’s The Cradle par-3 course, Will aced the 50-yard fifth hole.
“We called him ‘Ace’ last night,” Sorenstam told reporters. “That was his nickname, and every time we said ‘Ace’ he lit up.”

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Team Spieth

This will be the first appearance for 13-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth in the PNC, and he’s playing alongside his dad, Shawn, a former college baseball player at Lehigh. Shawn has an MBA and is the CEO of MVPIndex, which analyses athletes and their presence on social media. It’s a metric that has been used by the PGA Tour as part of the formula for its Player Impact Programme.
Shawn also has been called upon to caddie for Jordan on occasion. His most recent duty came in the 2020 Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club, where Dad committed a bit of a looper’s faux paus. (Jordan’s usual caddie, Michael Greller, was taking leave after his mother died.)
As Jordan told it at the time: “It was funny … I’m stepping into the ball, and he goes: ‘Just don’t overdo it.’
“I step back, step back in. I’m like: ‘Dad, there’s only really like one or two things you just can’t do and that’s just don’t say not to hit it somewhere while I’m stepping into the shot.’
“He goes: ‘Well, you know, you did it on No. 11, so I didn’t want you to do it on 13.’
“I’m like: ‘I didn’t overdo it.’”
As Greller knows, Jordan gets the last word, of course, and he striped the tee shot and made a solid par.

Team Thomas

The close ties between Justin and his dad, Mike, on and off the course are well-documented, and this PNC has to be quite a bit sweeter for the PGA teaching professional father to play alongside the reigning PGA champion.
Knowing how competitive these two are, this is not a hits-and-giggles occasion for them. They won in their PNC debut in 2020 with a 25-under total, and it marked a milestone for the event: the first time the winning father was not a tour player. Last year, the Thomases shot 60-60 and finished T-3 with Team Cink, only three shots back of the Dalys.

Team Langer

This is another duo that comes to win. The ageless Bernhard Langer — 65 and winner of 44 senior events — and son Jason have captured the PNC twice (in 2014 and 2019) after dad won back-to-back titles with another son, Stefan, in 2005-06.
Jason Langer, 22, played his college golf at Penn and doesn’t have aspirations to follow his dad into professional golf. He did produce one of the greatest holes of his life in the 2019 PNC when he lashed a 270-yard 3-wood to 16 feet and made the putt to give his team the lead en route to the win. “I’ve seen clutch shots in majors and Ryder Cups, all over the place. For our family it doesn’t get much better than that one,” said Bernhard, a two-time Masters champion.

Team Daly

The Dalys have played the event since the former “Little John” was just 12 years old, and they finally got their breakthrough win last year. After dad messed up their first round with awful putting, the two got on a roll on Sunday, making 13 birdies and an eagle in shooting 15-under 57 and setting the tournament record at 27-under.
“Every year we always try and win, but this was the year we just enjoyed it and being here playing with him in the holidays,” John II said. “I guess that’s what happens, when you win.”
John II is in his second year at his dad’s alma mater, Arkansas, but has yet to crack the starting line-up. He’ll never get benched by his Pops.

The post 5 intriguing teams to watch beyond Tiger and Charlie Woods in the PNC Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 15-time major championfinished second last time out, behind John Daly Snr and Jnr.

Joining Team Woods in the family tournament are nine-time major winner Gary Player with grandson, Jordan, 2009 Open Champion Stewart Cink with son Connor and six-time major champion Nick Faldo with son Matthew, completing the 20-team line up for the 2022 PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes, December 15-18.

“We have been looking forward to this week all year and we can’t wait to team up together for our third PNC Championship,” said Tiger. “This is such a special opportunity as a dad to get to compete with my son against so many golfing greats and their family members. It is going to be a very special week and I know that Charlie and I will have a blast.”

The 20-team field for the 2022 PNC Championship
Stewart Cink, Connor Cink
John Daly, John Daly II
David Duval, Brady Duval
Nick Faldo, Matthew Faldo
Jim Furyk, Tanner Furyk
Padraig Harrington, Patrick Harrington
Nelly Korda, Petr Korda
Matt Kuchar, Carson Kuchar
Bernhard Langer, Jason Langer
Tom Lehman, Sean Lehman
Justin Leonard, Luke Leonard
Mark O’Meara, Shaun O’Meara
Gary Player, Jordan Player
Nick Price, Greg Price
Vijay Singh, Qass Singh
Annika Sorenstam, Will McGee
Jordan Spieth, Shawn Spieth
Justin Thomas, Mike Thomas
Lee Trevino, Daniel Trevino
Tiger Woods, Charlie Woods

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The post Tiger and Charlie Woods pair up again for PNC Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.