The PNC Championship, headlining the golf calendar this weekend, is usually nothing more than a low-key mid-December celebratory exhibition featuring parents and their kids getting a chance to play 36 holes of golf together. This year, though? Because a certain 15-time major winner is making his first public golf appearance in 12 months, this event has become one of the must-see tournaments of the year.
Tiger Woods’ presence alongside his son, Charlie, doesn’t necessarily raise the stakes of the event itself, but it does give some weight to what unfolds on Saturday and Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. Every swing and step Tiger takes will be broken down in tremendous detail given, well, who he is and the year he’s had after a car wreck in February nearly resulted in the amputation of his right leg.
So let’s take a look at this event, what to expect from it, how to watch it and a few burning questions as we head into what will finally (I think!) be the last important golf tournament of 2021.
Event information
Event: PNC Championship | Dates: Dec. 18-19
Location: Ritz-Carlton Golf Club — Orlando, Florida
Par: 72 | Purse: $1.09 million
Format: Two-person scramble
Wait, what is this event?
The PNC Championship — formerly the Father/Son Challenge — has actually been around for a quarter of a century now, and it has a nice history. The vision for it was former major (or Players) winners teaming up with their sons to have a little family time and also compete against one another. Over the years, it has evolved from a father-son event into more of a general family festivity.
Some golfers play with their daughters. Some play with their grandsons. World No. 1 on the women’s side, Nelly Korda, is playing with her father, former Australian Open (tennis) champion, Petr. There’s little money at stake, but the two-person scramble is nonetheless an enjoyable family-friendly way for some of the best in the world to show off their skills for fans while making memories with their kids.
What is the format?
This is a true scramble in that both players tee off — normally from different tee boxes — and the best drive is taken. Then golfers both hit from that spot and the best approach shot is taken. This obviously leads to some ridiculous scores as the Thomas family — Justin and Mike — shot 62-57 last year to finish at 25 under and win by one over Vijay Singh and his son.
Who has won past events?
Raymond Floyd and his son, Raymond Floyd Jr., won the first three iterations of this event and the elder Floyd went on to win five of the first seven overall. Jack Nicklaus and his son have won here. Bernhard Langer has four titles. Larry Nelson has three. Stewart Cink, Davis Love III and David Duval all have titles as well.
Didn’t Tiger play here last year?
He did! Last year’s event marked both the first time it became apparent that Tiger was struggling with his back again (he had surgery in January) and also our introduction to Charlie, who was tremendous at golf and also a joy to watch play. Team Woods finished seventh in 2020.
Who is in the field this year?
This year’s group spans from age 12 (Charlie) to age 86 (Gary Player). Here’s a look at the 20 teams who will tee it up in Orlando this weekend.
- Rich Beem and Michael Beem
- Lee Trevino and Daniel Trevino
- Mark O’Meara and Shaun O’Meara
- Matt Kuchar and Cameron Kuchar
- Nelly Korda and Petr Korda
- Nick Faldo and Matthew Faldo
- David Duval and Brady Duval
- Gary Player and Jordan Player
- Henrik Stenson and Karl Stenson
- Stewart Cink and Reagan Cink
- Tom Lehman and Sean Lehman
- Jim Furyk and Tanner Furyk
- John Daly and John Daly II
- Bubba Watson and Wayne Ball
- Justin Thomas and Mike Thomas
- Nick Price and Greg Price
- Padraig Harrington and Paddy Harrington
- Tom Watson and Michael Watson
- Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods
- Vijay Singh and Qass Singh
That’s a total of 67 major championships among those 20 former or current professionals. A staggering collection of talent all collected in one event.
Wait, so Tiger?
Woods announced a week ago that he would play this event with Charlie, and that announcement came just one week after he said he didn’t know when he would be ready for PGA Tour golf again. There was a metaphorical surrender — at least in terms of contending at Tour events and majors — when Woods spoke at the Hero World Challenge. And while this weekend’s tournament is nowhere near a Tour event and certainly not anything in the realm of a major championship, Woods’ body was still closer than he let on two weeks ago in the Bahamas where we heard him for the first time since his accident in February.
He said at the Hero that it was close to 50-50 that his right leg would have to be amputated. Now, he’s playing a televised golf tournament with his son. I remain dubious about his future — mostly because I think the fire has been quenched by his fifth back surgery in January as well as that car wreck — but his appearance this weekend is something that should be celebrated. It’s also somewhat ironic that, as my pal Dylan Dethier pointed out, Tiger might swing it better this time around than he did at this tournament last year.
Pick and prediction
The Thomas family comes in as the favorite to win this event at +200. I’m going to go with Team Cink at +550 and with Team Korda at +1200 as my sleeper. Team Woods is +1000.
As for how Tiger plays, I think he’ll be fine. His swing has looked good in what little footage we have of it over the last few weeks. He’ll probably tire out as the week wears on, and he’ll almost certainly lack some of the pop we’re used to seeing. But despite everything he’s endured, he still has some of the great hands in golf history. He talks about that often, and it’s true.
So we’ll likely see some nice moments from him, which everyone will say are a harbinger for a Masters win in April. They’re not, but it’s easy (and fun!) to pretend like they are in December. Regardless, I suspect Tiger’s performance with Charlie will be wonderful and, given what has gone on in the intervening 12 months, probably even more endearing than last year’s.
Here’s how you can watch all weekend.
Round 1 — Saturday
Round starts: 9:45 a.m.
Early coverage: 12:30-1:30 p.m. — Peacock
Live TV coverage: 12-3 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live stream online: 12-3 p.m. on fuboTV (Try for free) and GolfChannel.com
Main broadcast: 2:30-5:30 p.m. on NBC
Live simulcast: 2:30-5:30 p.m. on fuboTV (Try for free) and NBCSports.com
Round 2 — Sunday
Round starts: 9:45 a.m.
Early coverage: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Peacock
Live TV coverage: 12-1 p.m. on Golf Channel
Live stream online: 12-1 p.m. on fuboTV (Try for free) and GolfChannel.com
Main broadcast: 1-4:30 p.m. on NBC
Live simulcast: 1-4:30 p.m. on fuboTV (Try for free) and NBCSports.com