Team Langer Holds off Team Woods Right Down to the Wire for the Win
Story by: Bill Sangster
ORLANDO, Florida – The “Sunshine State” always has its fair share of PGA/LPGA tournaments throughout the year, but only one of them brings together players from both tours, playing alongside their families: the annual PNC Championship. This unique championship features a 36-hole scramble format, contested (for the last 13 years) at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando where Family trees along with Christmas trees share the spotlight for this pre-holiday weekend.
In designing The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Grande Lakes, two-time British Open Champion Greg Norman and his team put special emphasis on preserving the area’s well-balanced ecosystem, thriving with ponds, wetlands, live oaks, and cypress heads. This 18-hole, par 72 championship course is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
With only 20 teams competing, players past and present have shown unprecedented interest in being part of an event that reflects the world class talent found at this inclusive family championship. It continues to showcase the special bonds that golf creates, including family pride, and the bragging rights that go along with a victory.
The PNC Championship has continued to evolve since the inaugural tournament in 1995, when ten major winners gathered with their sons. This year’s field featured 5 past champions, 7 Ryder Cup champions, and several legendary players with 69 major titles between them, including 15 from a guy named Tiger Woods.
The PNC Championship may be an unofficial PGA Tour Champions event, but there’s still money on the line on Sunday. The 20 two-person teams in the 36-hole scramble are playing for a $1.085 million purse, with $200,000 going to the winning team. Second place takes home $80,000 while third place picks up $57,250. The lowest amount a team can receive is $40,000.
SATURDAY – DAY 1
The early morning tee times (9am) found bright sunshine and cloudless skies. Sustained winds were blowing from the North at 10-15mph making for a chilly start to what was otherwise a beautiful winter day here in central Florida.
Playing from the longest tees this weekend at 7106 yards were Stewart Cink, David Duval, Padraig Harrington, Matt Kuchar, Justin Leonard, Trevor Immelman, and Tiger Woods. Playing the shortest tees at 5499 yards were Lee Trevino and Gary Player. The rest of the field were playing one of the two sets of tees between the tips and fronts.
Team Woods shot a first-round 13-under 59 to co-lead the 2024 PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., along with Team Singh and Team Langer.
Tiger was playing for the first time since back surgery in September, along with son Charlie, whose last competitive tournament was the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur (July 22-27), managed to record 13 birdies and no bogeys in today’s round to get to 13-under.
Asked about his team’s 13-under round Tiger said, “To be out here in this environment and to have fun like this – it doesn’t get any better.” When asked how Charlie is handling the spotlight so far, Woods answered, “I think he’s doing a great job.”
When Vijay Singh was asked about his Team’s final round plans, he replied, “I think if we shoot 10- under we’re not going to win. 12 under we are not going to win. I think we have to be in the 50s.”
Bernard Langer, when asked about tomorrow’s final round said, “It’s going to be a shootout. It’s anyones game that is within three or four shots of the leaders which is most of the field.”
SUNDAY – DAY 2
The morning’s first tee time (9:10am) brought with it bright sunny skies, with temperatures in the low 50s and wind blowing from the north at 10mph with gust to 19mph. Team Price(67) and Team Player(72) were the first two groups off the tee this morning with Team Woods(59) and Team Langer(59) having the final tee time at 11:07am.
Charlie Woods first hole-in-one happened this morning on the 174 yards Par 3 4th hole. No more than 10 minutes later Paddy Harrington also made his first hole-in-one on the 185 yards par 3 8th hole. Both shots moved their teams into first place for the moment. There has only been 3 holes in ones in the PNC Championship and 2 of them were today.
A look at the top of the leaderboard, when the final foursome reached the 10th tee: 1st Team Woods -21 (10 tee), 2nd Team Langer -20 (10th tee), Tied for 3rd: Team Singh -19 (10th hole), Team Harrington -19 (11 hole) and Team Korda -19 (14th hole)
Heading to the 18th tee, Team Woods and Team Langer found themselves tied at 27-under par, four shots better then the rest of the field. Two birdies on the last hole left the Teams tied at 27-under par and headed back to the 18th tee for a “Sudden Death” playoff.
At the first playoff hole Bernard watched Tiger and Charlie missed their eagle attempts from just off the green. While Jason’s 15’ putt headed straight to the hole but decided at the last second to sneak by. At that point, Bernard calmly drained his own eagle putt to claim victory and win.
This was Bernard Langer’s record 6 PNC championship title while son Jason claimed his fourth. Tiger Woods and Charlie have not yet won a PNC Championship. They finished runners up in 2021 behind the Daly’s.
When asked whether he had played a final round with Tiger before today experience, Bernhard Langer responded, “Maybe not the final round. I played with him probably a dozen times. I was one of the first to play with him when he turned pro. But that was a long time ago. He’s come a long way and won a lot of tournaments since.” He continued, “But they couldn’t have been nicer. Both of them, truly very gentlemen-like. Fun to be with. Competitive. You could see they wanted to win this, and they played awesome.”
When asked about Charlie’s hole-in-one and today’s final round, Tiger said, “That was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to have that moment with Charlie, make his first hole-in-one, Sam on the bag, just our family and friends. That’s what this event is about. It’s about bonding and family. For us to have that experience together, I know we didn’t win, but it was the fact that we competed. No one really made a mistake out there. We had to earn it, and that’s what you want to have. Hats off to Langers. They played amazing.”
Bernard Langer and his son Jason won the 2024 PNC Championships and the $200,000 prize, with a 29-under par score. Finishing one shot back, the runner-up prize went to Tiger and his son Charlie, along with a check for $80,000.
Final Leaderboard
1 Team Langer* -28 59-57-116
2 Team Woods -28 59-57-116
T3 Team Duval -23 63-58-121
T3 Team Harrington -23 60-61-121
T3 Team Singh -23 59-62-121
*Won on the first playoff hole (No. 18) with eagle
Bill Sangster, a life-long golf aficionado and former Sergeant in Marines, moved to Cape Cod in 1974 where he raised his family while working as educator with the Sandwich School System for 23 years. With his Falmouth home adjacent to Paul Harney’s Golf Course, Bill spent many days learning and playing the game of golf. He was a member of White Cliffs Country Club and Sandwich Hollows Country on Cape Cod. In 2018 he continued his love for the game of golf by moving to “The Villages” in Florida. He now will admit to anyone who asks that he is addicted to the game of golf! Bill can be reached at sangsterbill33@gmail.com.
