ORLANDO, Fla. – It wasn’t a storybook finish for Team Woods, thanks to a near-flawless performance from the 67-year-old German, who is aging like Benjamin Button, but for Team Woods, the PNC Championship was a tough one. Everything about the final round was special.
Tiger Woods and his 15-year-old son Charlie lost to Bernhard Langer and his son Jason, a 24-year-old investment banker, on the first overtime hole at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, but it wasn’t close for Team Woods. I made a mistake in the 36-hole scramble, which was important for me, and I was disappointed that I wasn’t even close.
“We had that experience together, I know we didn’t win, but we competed,” Tiger said. “No one really made any mistakes. We had to earn it and that’s what you want. Hats off to the Rangers. They played great. I did it.”
As is customary at this event, Sunday was a battle for tournament scoring records, with Woods and Langers competing for birdies and eagles on nearly every hole after starting the final round tied for the lead at 13 under. But it was Team Woods that inched forward thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime moment for father and son.
On the 178-yard, par-3 fourth hole, Charlie hit a 7-iron tee shot onto the green as Tiger watched closely. After the ball hit the green and disappeared behind the mound, there was a brief pause as the crowd surrounding the putting surface roared.
“Is that in?” Tiger asked, before officials quickly confirmed that Charlie had achieved his most high-profile moment, at least his first ace as a high school sophomore.
“It was great having my dad there. It was so much fun,” Charlie said with a smile. “It was a perfect 7-iron and it cut a little bit. Of course I couldn’t see it go in, so that sucks. But that’s OK.”
Tiger echoed that comment, calling the moment “a once-in-a-lifetime thrill to be able to spend that moment with Charlie.”
Despite the drama, Team Langer maintained their pace with an eagle on the next hole and a birdie on the 10th hole to tie for the lead at 21 under. Both teams combined for a total of 26 birdies, 2 eagles, and 1 hole-in-one, finishing the round with a birdie on the 18th hole tied at 28 under. Bernhard Langer made a 15-foot eagle putt on the 18th to win the playoffs for the sixth time in tournament history, a stunning finish to the season after missing most of the year recovering from an Achilles tendon injury in February. He made a comeback.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Tiger said of Bernhard Langer’s performance. “The driver (Langer) hit it out of the bunker on No. 14. That was one of the best shots I’ve ever seen.”
The win would have been the perfect end to an otherwise perfect day, but for Tiger, who has embraced PNC and its family-first focus even as his competitive life appears to be on the wane. It gave him a reason to look beyond the scoreboard. For satisfaction.
“This is all about family. This is about bonding and having a great time and we did that. It’s a lifetime experience for us to be able to experience this together.” It’s a one-time thrill,” Tiger said.
Team Woods continues to trend in the right direction at PNC after finishing seventh in 2020, second in ’21, tied for eighth in ’22 and tied for fifth in ’23. It’s also a message of encouragement for Woods as he heads into 2025 after a lost season with five official PGA Tour starts and one Masters appearance. At the Masters, he finished 60th, the lowest of any player who finished the weekend at Augusta National.
Tiger: Charlie’s Ace was a ‘once in a lifetime thrill’
Tiger and Charlie Woods discuss their experience playing together at the PNC Championship, looking back on Charlie’s epic hole-in-one and more.
Woods underwent his fifth microscopic excision surgery in September, but was predictably vague when asked earlier this month if he had a timeline for a return to competition. But his play at PNC, even if it was only 36 holes of scrambled golf, gave him reason for optimism.
“We’ll see,” Tiger shrugged. “I don’t like this cold right now, I can tell you that. But hey, it’s training and I’m just going to keep doing the little things every day and keep progressing and I’m going to keep moving forward into next year.”
Tiger’s competitive future remains clouded by injury, but after two magical days in central Florida, Team Woods will take to the Ritz-Carlton course next year for another storied finish. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ll be back.
