ORLANDO, Fla. – Tiger Woods called it the thrill of a lifetime. Charlie called it the most fun he’s ever had on a golf course.
“It’s not even close,” said Charlie, who followed his first eagle with his first ace on the front nine Sunday at the PNC Championship.
Team Woods, making their fifth appearance in the family event, went toe-to-toe with Bernhard Langer, 67, and his 24-year-old son Jason down the stretch at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. The two teams finished the event knotted at 28-under par. It marked the first playoff for Woods in more than a decade.
Charlie dropped to his knees when his eagle attempt on the first playoff hole didn’t drop. When dad couldn’t convert either, the Langers faced an 18-footer to close the deal. After Jason, a former collegiate player turned investment banker, missed his putt, the steely Bernhard came through to win his sixth PNC title with two different sons.
“For us to have that experience together, I know we didn’t win,” said Tiger, “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.”
Charlie set the sports world on fire with his electric ace on the fourth hole. He didn’t get the chance to see it drop, but the reaction from his father was unforgettable.
“It was just a perfect 7-iron, little cut in there,” said Charlie, who had the crowd chanting his name as the day wore on.
Tiger noted that Charlie has gotten better at every facet of the game as he continues to grow. There’s a commitment, he said. to doing what it takes to develop as a player.
“I think that most of us forget he’s only 15 years old,” said Woods, who had daughter Sam on the bag for a second year in a row. “I know he’s been doing this in front of the media for a long time. But being only 15, I think it’s incredible what he’s been able to accomplish so far, and the ceiling that he has is unlimited.”
When asked if he had any flashbacks to his own junior career as he watches Charlie develop, Woods said “I wish I hit it that far and that good. I definitely did not do that at his age.”
“Dad, I didn’t win as many tournaments as you did,” Charlie noted.
“I made a couple putts,” Tiger said smiling.
Playing in a competition for the first time since the British Open, the 48-year-old Woods called himself “a great scramble partner.” In September, he underwent microdecompression surgery on his lower back. Walking the golf course each day in Orlando seemed a victory in itself.
“I don’t like this cold right now; I can tell you that,” said Woods when asked about how his body reacted.
“But hey, it’s training, each and every day, doing the little things and keep progressing, and I’ll keep progressing forward into next year.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PNC Championship 2024: Tiger Woods, Charlie had a thrill of lifetime
