The father-son duo won the 2023 PNC Championship on Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando by two shots over David Duval and his son, Brady. The win is the fifth for Langer at the annual family event, tying Raymond Floyd with the most wins.
For their efforts, Team Langer will take home the top prize of $200,000, while the Duvals earned $80,000. Check out how much money each team earned this weekend at the 2023 PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.
Langer is the second five-time winner of the annual family event.
For more than 20 years Raymond Floyd was the only five-time winner of the annual PNC Championship. That all changed on Sunday.
Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason, ran away with the 2023 family hit-and-giggle at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando after a white-hot day on the putting green. The father-son duo made birdie on their first seven holes of the day and shot an impressive 13-under 59 during Sunday’s final round to take the trophy at 25 under.
“Just it’s always special whether you win or not, just being here is like the Olympics. They only take 20 teams and there’s probably 25 on the waiting list that would love to be here,” Bernhard said after the round. “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.
Floyd and Langer are now the only five-time winners of the event. Larry Nelson has three wins and Davis Love III has two. Langer won with his son, Stefan, in 2005 and 2006, and won with Jason in 2014, 2019 and now 2023. He also previously played with his daughter, Christina, in 2013 and 2016.
“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,” Jason added. “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.”
David Duval and his son, Brady, finished second at 23 under, while defending champions Vijay and Qass Singh finished third at 22 under.
“This is by far the best week of the year, this is the week that you’re just hoping for that invite every single year,” said Brady. “I’m very thankful to have the invite and I’m thankful for everybody here. It was an absolute blast out there. If we got it a little closer on a few holes and gave ourselves a couple better chances, we would have had a pretty good chance at winning this year.
“It’s the best golfing week of the year,” David echoed. “You’re on pins and needles come — once August kind of rolls around, hoping to see that e-mail from Alastair with the invite. I think certainly with the majority of folks who play at our age, it’s the most coveted invite in golf, as well, and I think as you could argue, it’s the hardest field to get into.
“To be asked to come back and participate, it’s a dream come true every year it happens.”
The Kuchars played the first 12 holes in 11 under.
ORLANDO — The Kuchar family has a picture of son Cameron on the back of a driving range in Las Vegas wearing diapers and appearing to give his father Matt a lesson. As Cameron grew, so too did his love of the game, to the point that the 16-year-old now dreams of one day playing on the PGA Tour and winning the Masters.
Team Kuchar warmed up for this year’s PNC Championship at their home course in Jupiter, Florida, The Bear’s Club, by training with fellow father-son teams Justin and Mike Thomas and Justin and Luke Leonard.
The pair made it look easy on a rainy day at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club, where the Kuchars fired a 15-under 57 in the scramble format, one shot off the tournament record. They hold a three-shot lead over four teams at 12 under.
The Kuchars played the first 12 holes in 11 under.
“I think back to when I was 16 years old,” said Matt, a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour. “It’s just leaps and bounds ahead of where I was, just as a quality golfer. Feels like day-in and day-out, he’s going to play some pretty good golf, and he’s got a great network of friends that now he goes and practices, plays with and plays tournaments with. He sees Charlie Woods down there a lot, a bunch of other guys down in Jupiter.”
Matt’s father, Peter, agrees, noting that Matt’s game really took off around age 15, yet Cameron is already so much farther ahead. That’s largely because of Matt.
“I was a tennis player,” said Peter. “Matt just learned it all on his own. He didn’t learn anything from me.”
Matt’s son Carson, who played last year in this event, is a nationally ranked junior player and the reason the family moved down to south Florida. Though the move has certainly helped Cameron, too, who notes that the two-minute cart ride from their house to the driving range is a big improvement, and there’s always a game to be had.
Cameron plays most of his tournament golf on the South Florida PGA Junior Medalist Tour along with Charlie Woods and Luke Leonard.
Tiger Woods of the United States embraces son Charlie Woods on the 18th green during the first round of the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 16, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
“I drove the ball really good today,” said Charlie, “didn’t miss a fairway, and still managed to shoot 8 under. We just suck at putting.”
Added Tiger: “That sums it up right there.”
Bernhard Langer is a four-time winner of the PNC, twice with his youngest son Jason (2014 and 2019) and twice with his oldest, Stefan (2005 and 2006). Jason, 26, is a former collegiate player at Penn who now works in finance in New York City. He’s making his sixth appearance at the PNC with dad this week. They’re currently in a share of second with the Singhs, Goosens and Duvals.
“I saw Jason played incredibly well for somebody who doesn’t play much golf anymore,” said Langer. “Hit a lot of quality shots.”
ORLANDO — Will McGee rated his debut at the PNC Championship last year with mom Annika Sorenstam a 10 out of 10. It’s hard to go up from there, but the 12-year-old, a fan favorite at last year’s event, already has quite the highlight reel at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club. First came the ace during a practice round after school alongside his father, Mike McGee, on the fourth hole. Will hit a 7-iron into the wind from 128 yards.
Then, on Saturday during the PNC’s opening round, Will drained a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 third hole.
“At the start it was downhill,” said Will, “and then like towards the middle you could see it was going to break right. Right as I it had it, I thought it was a couple feet short and my mom was like, get some legs, get some legs. And it kept on slowly going and eventually it dropped, and it felt nice.”
Team Annika holds a share of seventh in the scramble format after carding a 10-under 62. They trail leaders Matt Kuchar and Cameron Kuchar by eight strokes. Tiger Woods and his son Charlie opened with a 64.
Sorenstam, a 72-time winner on the LPGA, including 10 majors, is the only mother playing in the field. To be invited to the PNC, a member of each team must have won at least one major (PGA Tour, LPGA or PGA Tour Champions) or The Players Championship, while the partner must not hold any playing status on a professional tour.
“Last year we just didn’t really know what to expect,” said Sorenstam of their debut, “and I thought we did quite well last year, and then so now this year, the expectations rise for someone, so therefore, we were a little nervous just for that reason.”
Will McGee son of Annika Sorenstam of Sweden tosses a ball on the 18th green during the first round of the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 16, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
When asked how many aces he now has, Will said it’s up for debate. He doesn’t count the one he made last year at Pinehurst Resort’s par-3 course, The Cradle, while mom was competing in the U.S. Women’s Open.
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s round at the PNC Championship.
The first round of the PNC Championship is in the books, and it was a rainy one at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.
However, Team Kuchar wasn’t affected by the weather as much as some other teams. In the first group off, Matt and son Cameron had a stellar day, shooting 15-under 57 and tying the lowest first-round score in PNC Championship history and second-lowest score in tournament history, as well. Team Kuchar has a three-shot lead heading into Sunday over myriad teams, including the defending champions Vijay and Qass Singh.
However, he has a new caddie at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, and one he’s plenty familiar with. His 16-year-old daughter, Sam.
Sam has been in the public eye with dad before, introducing Woods at his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. But this is the first time she has been on the bag, meaning a family affair on a rainy Saturday in central Florida.
“Sam was fantastic,” Tiger said. “This is the first time she’s ever done this, so it couldn’t have been any more special for all of us.
“For me to have both my kids inside the ropes like this and participating and playing and being part of the game of golf like this, it couldn’t have been more special for me, and I know that we do this a lot at home, needle each other and have a great time. But it was more special to do it in a tournament like this.”
Tiger Woods of the United States rides in a golf cart with daughter Sam Woods on the on the ninth hole during the first round of the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 16, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Tiger is indeed still searching for a full-time caddie, as former bag man Joe LaCava is now looping for Patrick Cantlay. Two weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, longtime friend and business partner Rob McNamara caddied for Woods.
LaCava’s son, Joe Jr., has been on the bag for Charlie the past three years. This year, it’s his high school teammate Luke Wise. The duo won a team state title last month for Benjamin.
Team Woods finished at 8-under 64 after the first round, seven shots behind Team Kuchar.
Meanwhile, how is Tiger as a caddie for Charlie in his junior events? He poked some fun at dad.
“For Dad as a caddie, his reads are hook-bias, and I don’t hook as much as he does,” Charlie said. “So all of my putts, I miss right. So I have to account for that.”
The first round of the 2023 PNC Championship got underway Saturday in a rainy Orlando at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Twenty teams of former major champions paired with a family member got underway in the friendly hit-and-giggle to end the year.
However, plenty of eyes were focused on Team Woods, and there was no shortage of excitement from the duo early and often.
Walking in putts, waving goodbye to drives and racking up the birdies trying to keep up with Team Kuchar, which was the team setting the mark early.
Check out the scenes from the 2023 PNC Championship Pro-Am.
ORLANDO — When Tiger and Charlie Woods arrived on property at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, the cameras met them in the parking lot and fans were already lining the fence waiting for one of the rare sightings this year of the 15-time major winner and son, who recently helped his high school win the FHSAA Class A State Championship.
For Tiger, this is groundhog day. Another day of all eyes trained on his every shot, smile or grimace and limp. For Charlie, 14, it’s his fourth straight appearance in this event with his dear, old dad, and he has been around enough big events to know what to expect. He has shown great composure playing in front of crowds that are more interested in seeing what type of game young Charlie has compared to the Hall of Famers in the field.
“Welcome to the new Tour,” Tiger said, “where everyone has a camera phone.”
Here are four more scenes from Friday’s practice round at the PNC Championship.
The 15-time major champion is playing with his son, Charlie.
Tiger Woods made his return to golf two weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and now he’s back to headline the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.
The 15-time major champion played in the 36-hole two-day scramble event with his son, Charlie, and with his daughter, Sam, as a caddie.
In 2021, Team Woods finished runner-up to Vijay Singh and his son, Qass. And last year, even though Charlie was playing hurt, the Woods boys finished T-8 after rounds of 59-65. In 2023, they finished tied for fifth. Bernhard Langer and son Jason won the event.
“It’s actually a blessing and a surprise that we’re here.”
ORLANDO – Steve Stricker never thought he’d have a chance to play in the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. After all, he never won any of the four major championships or the Players Championship, which is a requirement to be invited to the prestigious two-person scramble competition.
“So we never thought, at least I didn’t, we’d have the opportunity to play here. So it’s actually a blessing and a surprise that we’re here,” Stricker said.
How it happened is a story in itself. Rules, the saying goes, are meant to be broken. Tournament founder Alastair Johnston said there’s precedence such as the time he permitted Paul Azinger to play with Aaron Stewart, Payne Stewart’s son after he died in a plane crash or a pro such as Bubba Watson to play with a father-in-law. So, as of this year, Johnston decided senior majors are good enough to enter the field.
“I’m not denying it, I did it. As I told a couple of players who will remain nameless, I’m in charge so eat it!” Johnston said, noting that he’s not allowed to invite LIV members such as Watson and LIV CEO Greg Norman, both past participants, which limited his options.
Stricker said it has been a several-year process and recalled PGA Tour Champions rules official Joe Terry inquiring with him if he would be interested in participating.
“Joe T. mentioned that they were trying to maybe change the rules, get us in — I don’t even know what the rules are, who gets invited, right? That’s kind of a mystery to me,” Stricker said. “So Joe T. put it in my ear a couple years ago, and he asked if we would play. I’m like, ‘Well, yeah, most definitely we’ll play if we have the opportunity.’ ”
Stricker figured he’d been passed over again when he hadn’t heard any news but about a month ago an invitation from Johnston was sent directly to Stricker’s agent/brother-in-law Mario Tiziani.
“He immediately called me because he knew how excited I was going to be,” Stricker said.
Izzi Stricker, daughter of Steve Stricker, reacts after making a putt on the fifth hole prior to the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 14, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
The invite specified that he had to play with daughter Izzi, not older daughter Bobbi, who is pursuing a professional career, in the 36-hole two-person scramble competition, which begins on Saturday. (Relatives can’t have pro status.) Izzi, 17, is currently a senior in high school and a stick in her own rights, who committed to attending the University of Wisconsin and playing for the women’s golf team in 2024-25. Izzi was the Wisconsin Girls State Champion for her division the past two years and was named the 2023 Wisconsin Co-Player of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin. The golf gene definitely was passed along to the Stricker girls – mom Nikki played at Wisconsin too and earlier this summer played in her first USGA championship in 31 years. But the girls haven’t beaten dear, old dad yet, who was a force to be reckoned with on the Champions Tour, claiming the Charles Schwab Cup this season.
“I start to grind if it gets close,” Steve said. “Then I start talking to them and getting in their ear and trying to throw them off a little bit if that’s going to happen.”
It will be a full family affair with Bobbi on the bag for dad and Nikki handling caddie duties for Izzi.
“We play golf, but never in a competitive setting. So to be able to team up with him and, like, analyze, come up with a game plan, it will be really fun,” Izzi said.
