Team Thomas took home the hardware, Tiger & son Charlie Electrify PNC Championship

The two-day event featuring past and present professionals and their next of kin brought out an assortment of storylines—none as exciting as the Woods team making its debut.

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Tiger Woods isn’t used to playing second fiddle at golf tournaments, but that’s a role he might get used to at the PNC Championship. Tiger’s 11-year-old son, Charlie, was the talk of the event, and not just because he’s Tiger’s Simba—the kid can flat out play. The duo went 62-62 in the 20-team best-ball format, finishing 20–under, five shots back from winners Mike & Justin Thomas.

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Charlie, who has four fewer trips around the sun than dad has major championships, is the youngest ever to tee it up at the event, having already established himself as a top junior in Florida. Needless to say, social media was abuzz when the father and son team hit the range earlier in the week and showcased a series of identical mannerisms that were both hilarious and uncanny.

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Of course, it’s not fair to begin playing the career expectations game with a child whose foremost concern is nailing down cross multiplication, so we won’t. But it was fun to watch a young talented player dial in approach shots to a foot and drain long-range bombs, both of which he did with impressive frequency. And yes, Tiger providing fatherly lessons to a playing partner that was for once actually his son made us all smile.

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“The conversations we had all day amongst each other was priceless” said Tiger after the first round.

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However, Tiger and Charlie weren’t the only dad-son combo in their twosome—Tiger’s caddy Joe LaCava brought his son, Joe Jr., to loop for Charlie. Again, not fair to suggest Charlie is next in line to assume the throne, but having a second Woods-LaCava bag didn’t exactly stem wild conjecture about what the future may entail.

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Anyway, this week didn’t award world ranking points, change FedExCup standings, or involve controversial rulings—that’s not what it was about. The PNC Championship reminded us why we love the game and what makes it so truly unique. The ability to play alongside loved ones of a different generation, sharing laughs and chatting about life while ambling down the fairway is golf enjoyed at its purest. After all, that’s why we play.

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So it seems awfully fitting that after a year filled with such challenges and uncertainties, one of its final events helped us take a step back, reassess what we value and appreciate the important things in life.

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