Bernhard and Jason Langer won the PNC Championship in dramatic fashion.
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The Woods broke a long drought Sunday at the PNC Championship, but golf’s most famous family is still looking for the winner’s circle.
On the par-3 hole at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Charlie Woods hit a 7-iron from 176 yards that took a bounce and rolled straight into the cup for an ace.
The golf world went wild as young Woods achieved something of his own Father of 15-time major winner, Tiger Woods, hadn’t played in a tournament in 26 years, entering his third year on the PGA Tour. It was Charlie’s first hole-in-one in his entire golf career the same event where he made his first career eagle four years ago in 2020.
Team Woods kept rolling after that. The first-round co-leaders after a Saturday 59 continued to make birdies. They finished with a Sunday 57 and a record 36-hole score of 28 under, but in the end it wasn’t enough. Team Bernhard and Jason Langer also finished on the same score and Bernhard, the last to hit the first playoff hole, just curled in an eagle putt to beat Woods’ and win their second straight championship PNC.
Charlie’s hole-in-one and Langer’s win were part of a wild final round at the PGA Tour Champions-sanctioned event that was called “the greatest day in PNC Championship history” by NBC’s Dan Hicks. Shortly after Charlie’s ace, Paddy Harington, son of three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, also aced the 8th hole. The two aces were only the second and third in the 27 editions of the tournament.
Woods’ Sunday playing partners and defending champions Langers pulled into the lead three times on Sunday but were never able to wrest the full lead from Team Woods. The pair continued to match each other shot for shot, matching birdies on the same hole nine times and matching Charlie’s hole in one on No. 4 with an eagle on the par-5 5th.
The two teams split the 17th hole and bogeyed the 18th after the Langers missed an eagle putt from the green.
Charlie Woods makes a hole-in-one at PNC – and the reaction is priceless
Nick Piastowski
That put them back on the 18th where Charlie Woods and Bernhard Langer hit it in almost the same position as regulation. Tiger Woods hit their approach right on the green while Jason Langer – playing from 20 yards closer thanks to father Bernhard playing almost 50 feet higher than Charlie – hit his approach 20 yards left of the hole in the center of the green.
Team Langer has now won a record six PNC championships with Jason now having won four times while brother Stefan – who caddies for Jason – has won twice.
It was Tiger Woods’ first tournament since losing the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He did not play two weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge, the charity exhibition event he is hosting in the Bahamas, saying his game was not sharp and revealing he underwent a sixth back operation in September.
But especially, Tiger Woods decided to walk this one without the aid of a golf cart for the first time since his second appearance in the event, less than a year after his car accident in February 2021. Since the event is run by the PGA Champions Tour, competitors are allowed to take a cart.
The win was also a total family event for Team Woods as Tiger Woods had 17-year-old daughter Sam Woods going for him for the second year in a row. Woods’ ex-wife Elin Nordegren was also spotted on site at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club watching the action.
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