The First Look: PNC Championship

Tiger Woods and his son Charlie, 13, are making their third consecutive appearance at the PNC Championship. They’re seeking to go one better than last year’s thrilling runner-up finish that was highlighted by a record 11 consecutive birdies in the final round. The Woodses finished two back of John Daly and his son, University of Arkansas sophomore John Daly II. FIELD NOTES AND STORYLINES: Twenty major champions will once again head to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando to compete in the two-day scramble tournament alongside a family member… Tiger and Charlie Woods are back. It’s been a busy stretch for Tiger, who hosted the Hero World Challenge in the opening week of December after withdrawing from the event because of plantar fasciitis. He then competed in Capital One’s The Match on Dec. 10… Three of the four participants in The Match are also playing the PNC Championship as the tournament’s “youth movement” continues. An increasing number of active players are choosing to compete alongside their fathers instead of vice-versa. That includes Jordan Spieth, reigning PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and Nelly Korda. Spieth is making his tournament debut alongside his father, Shawn… LPGA Tour legend Annika Sorenstam is set to tee it up with her 11-year-old son Will… John Daly and his son, John Daly II, are looking to become the first back-to-back winners of the PNC Championship since Larry Nelson won in 2007 and ‘08… Matt Kuchar returns to action, but this time with his 13-year-old son Carson after playing the last two editions with his elder son, Cameron… Lee Trevino, who is the only golfer to play in every edition of the PNC Championship, is back once again for 2022. The 82-year-old will play with his son, Daniel… A pair of former world No. 1s, David Duval and Tom Lehman, will play alongside their sons – Brady and Sean, respectively… Fellow Open Championship winners Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard will also play with sons Connor and Luke, respectively… Nick Faldo, who retired from his full-time broadcasting role with CBS this year, is back in action with son Matthew… A foursome of PGA TOUR Champions superstars will look to put a bow on their nice years on the over-50 circuit with Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Vijay Singh all playing alongside their sons… Multi-time major winners Mark O’Meara and Nick Price return to the PNC Championship… Finally, the ageless Gary Player will once again join the field at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and is set to tee it up with his grandson, Jordan. COURSE: Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, par 72, 7,106 yards (yardage subject to change). Players will navigate a Florida layout with generous landing areas and wide fairways but boasting subtly contoured greens and strategically placed hazards. 72-HOLE RECORD: 117, John Daly/John Daly II (2021) 18-HOLE RECORD: 56, Davis Love III/Dru Love (Second round, 2018) LAST TIME: The Daly duo held off a hard-charging Tiger and Charlie Woods. The Dalys’ tournament-record 27-under effort was enough to win the PNC Championship for the first time. The Dalys shot a final-round 57, including birdies on seven of their last nine holes, to top Team Woods by two shots. The Woodses, wearing their trademark Sunday red and black pants, made a record 11 birdies in a row in the final round and came to the par-5 18th needing an eagle to put pressure on Team Daly. They could only manage to make par, however, and finished at 25 under, good for solo second. Team Woods went bogey-free over the 36-hole competition after making two bogeys in their tournament debut the year prior. Justin Thomas and father Mike finished tied for third in their title defense. HOW TO WATCH Television: Saturday, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. ET (Peacock), 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Peacock), 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (NBC)

Click here to read the full article…