The score wasn't what they expected, but Tiger Woods and his son Charlie still put on a great show. Team Woods shot an 8-under 64 in the first of two rounds of the PNC Championship Saturday morning in Orlando and trailed Team Kuchar by seven points heading into Sunday.
It probably should have been a lot better.
Charlie hit the ball beautifully and played a tee shot away from Tiger, regularly passing his famous father in the fairway. From then on, the duo simply couldn't get up and down in the scramble format. They hit several good but not good approach shots and couldn't find the cup.
“I mean, I hit the ball really well today,” Charlie said. “I didn’t miss a fairway and still managed to hit 8 under. We’re just bad at putting.”
“That sums it up,” Tiger added.
Still, they took advantage of the par 5s, made birdies where they could, and scored 8 under. It seemed like the worst result they could have had considering how well they hit the golf ball, especially off the tee.
Looking surprisingly good for the second year in a row after an impressive performance at the Hero World Challenge in late November, Tiger said that having Charlie to practice with was an advantage for him.
“I just have a lot more fun doing it with him,” Tiger said. “We have so much fun practicing and playing at home. It creates a special bond that not many parents can build.”
As is often the case at this tournament, Charlie stole the show on Saturday. He routinely hit drives of 300 yards or more, and on this 321-yard par-4 13th hole, Charlie cut the corner and landed a shot near the cup. About a 300-yard carry and probably a 320-yard throw overall. It was impressive.
However, Team Woods has an uphill battle on Sunday. They'll probably have to repeat what they did a few years ago and shoot something in the high 50s to have a chance of winning. That's certainly doable considering how well they hit the golf ball, but they'll have to make a lot more putts than they did on Saturday. And if Team Kuchar goes into the deep again, then Team Woods basically has no chance of catching up.
Regardless, Sunday should be fun. Tiger had his daughter Sam caddy for him on Saturday, and it was fun to see the hugs they shared with her dad when the day was over on Saturday.
“Sam was fantastic,” he said. “This is the first time she’s done this, so it couldn’t have been more special for all of us.”
“For me, it couldn't have been anything special to have my two kids on the ropes like that, joining in and playing and being part of the game of golf, and I know we do that a lot at home,” cheering each other on and have a great time. But it was special to do it in a tournament like this.”
Whether 64, 54 or 84, Tiger's children didn't seem to care. Neither does Tiger. That's the beauty of the PNC Championship weekend and the reason it's already a success.