The ageless Bernhard Langer and his son Jason won the 2023 PNC Championship thanks to an outstanding Sunday performance. With rounds of 60-59, Team Langer overcame a three-shot deficit on the final day to overtake Team Kuchar and take third joint at 25 under Title of the duo. With the victory, Bernhard claims his fifth PNC Championship trophy, tying Raymond Floyd for the most trophy of all time.
“It's a great event, I always call it the fifth major,” said Bernhard. “It's honestly the best event there is outside of some of the big tournaments we compete in, just because it's all about family. To have the opportunity to play with your son or daughter and show them the basics of this thing that we're doing the next day.” The day is just incredible. Most people can’t do that and to be able to do that with other legends, other greats of the game and work with the many wonderful teams here and meet their families and grandchildren is incredible.”
Team Langer was part of the final group alongside Team Kuchar and was able to make up for the deficit of their opponents from the first round almost immediately. The Kuchars came out of the gate slowly, opening the door for the rest of the field to catch up. While many would do that, including Team Duval, who once took the lead, it was Team Langer that stepped through the door and ran away from the competition.
Three straight birdies to start the round ensured the Langers drew level with the Kuchars. That was just the beginning of her tears. Thanks to a blistering run on the greens, there were birdies on the first seven holes and ten of the first eleven holes. A fiery finish that included three birdies on the final seven holes was enough for the Langers to claim a two-stroke victory over Team Duval.
“I just enjoyed watching my son hole putt after putt and hit great shot after great shot,” Langer said. “It was like a dream. It was amazing. I’ve seen a lot of great golf in my life and seeing him today was incredible.”
Tiger and Charlie finish in 61st place on the final lap and reach their fourth top 10 in a row
Tiger and Charlie Woods didn't win the PNC Championship, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a success. After starting with a mediocre score of 8-under 64, Team Woods improved their result on Sunday with an excellent score of 11-under 61 at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club in blustery conditions. The two finished the 36-hole race at 19 under and tied for fifth place for their fourth consecutive top-10 finish in the event.
“I think all week to be able to share it with my family [was my favorite part of the week]. “It was really special to have my two kids out there the last two days,” Tiger said. “I'm just thankful that we've been able to have these types of experiences and that Charlie and I have done this for four years in a row now. “Since COVID started, it's been special to be able to come here and come out for all of us as families and to enjoy the week.”
Entering the day, seven shots behind Team Kuchar, Team Woods woke up knowing it would be nearly impossible to climb to the top of the leaderboard. They formed a comfortable pairing with Steve Stricker and his daughter Izzi, with whom Tiger has played numerous Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups.
There was plenty of laughter at the start as a light drizzle fell and gusts of 30 to 40 miles per hour swirled across the golf course. Team Woods made their first birdie on the par-5 3rd and grabbed a big birdie on the 5th thanks to a nice approach and putt from the elder Woods.
Charlie hit the green on the par-4 7th to set up the third par-breaker of the day before a par on the par-3 8th. On the difficult par-4 9th hole, Team Woods was two holes from the green when Charlie stepped over his chip. Charlie's shot and the subsequent cheers electrified the crowd and put a huge grin on his old man's face as images of a young tiger flashed through the minds of every golf fan.
“I was on the high side, so I had a chance to see it, and from about 10 feet away it looked pretty darn good to me,” Tiger said. “It went in, he was excited, I looked over at Stricks and he just looked at me and shook his head. It was a great shot.”
Tiger contributed from the tee to the back green with a handful of deft wedge shots. It started on the 10th with a cheeky pitch from low to put the team at 6 under in the round. Two pars set the stage for a birdie run to the clubhouse, highlighted by an unofficial bunkering contest between Tiger and Charlie on the par-5 14th, where the youngster came out on top.
Birdies on the 15th and 16th moved Team Woods to 10 under in the round and made the chance of reaching 20 under for the tournament very real. However, that wasn't to come to fruition as the two made par birdie and finished the week at 19 under.
“I’m excited to get ready for next year,” Woods said. “The last two weeks have been good. I was able to shake off a lot of rust. I’ve gotten better every day, which is great, but I still have a lot of work to do.”
Whenever Tiger takes to the golf course these days, even in the relaxed atmosphere of the PNC Championship, it's hard not to analyze him in terms of competition. He looked pretty similar to how he did at the Hero World Challenge a few weeks ago, and his gait was stable again. Woods was strong off the tee, taking advantage of a bleeding fade more than once, and he had plenty of power in his bat. His shots were used sparingly because Charlie had firepower from a tee in front of him.
His wedge game took a step forward, giving the two ample birdie opportunities, and his putting within 10 feet improved compared to Albany. If there was one area where Woods still looked rusty, it would be his approach game, particularly his mid-to-long iron game.
These clubs aren't often used in tussles, but when they were, Woods wasn't at his best. This is an area he will focus on over the next few months as this is likely the last time we will see Tiger until the Genesis Invitational in February 2024.