2023 PNC Championship leaderboard: Tiger, Charlie Woods face uphill climb amid inconsistencies in Round 1
The score was not what they wanted, but Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, still put on a show. Team Woods shot 8-under 64 in the first of two rounds at the PNC Championship on Saturday morning in Orlando and trail Team Kuchar by seven going into Sunday.
It probably should have been a lot better than that.
Charlie drove the ball beautifully and, playing one tee box up from Tiger, was routinely in the fairway past his famous father. From there, the duo just could not get up and down in the scramble format. They hit several good-but-not-great approach shots and couldn’t find the cup.
“I mean, I drove the ball really good today,” said Charlie. “Didn’t miss a fairway, and still managed to shoot 8 under. We just suck at putting.”
“That sums it up right there,” added Tiger.
Still, they took advantage of the par 5s, made birdies where they could and posted the 8 under number. It seemed to be about the worst score they could have shot given how well they hit the golf ball, especially off the tee.
Tiger looked surprisingly good for the second consecutive event after looking formidable at the Hero World Challenge at the end of November and said that having Charlie to practice with is a benefit to him.
“I just have a lot more fun doing it with him,” said Tiger. “We have so much fun at home practicing and playing games. It’s a special bonding that happens that not a lot of parents get a chance to have.”
Charlie, as he often does at this tournament, stole the show on Saturday. He routinely hit drives of 300 or more yards, and on this 321-yard par-4 13th hole, Charlie cut the corner and landed one near the cup. Around a 300-yard carry and probably a 320-yard shot in total. It was impressive.
Team Woods has an uphill battle on Sunday, though. They’ll likely have to replicate what they did a few years ago and shoot something in the high 50s to have a shot of winning. That’s certainly feasible given how well they’re hitting the golf ball, but they will have to make a lot more putts than they did on Saturday. And if Team Kuchar goes low again, then Team Woods basically has no chance of catching.
Regardless, Sunday should be fun. Tiger had his daughter, Sam, caddying for him on Saturday, and it was fun to see the hugs they shared with their dad when the day was over on Saturday.
“Sam was fantastic,” he said. “This is the first time she’s ever done this, so it couldn’t have been any more special for all of us.
“For me to have both my kids inside the ropes like this and participating and playing and being part of the game of golf like this, it couldn’t have been more special for me, and I know that we do this a lot at home, needle each other and have a great time. But it was more special to do it in a tournament like this.”
Whether it was 64, 54 or 84, Tiger’s kids did not seem to care all that much. Neither did Tiger. That’s the beauty of the PNC Championship weekend and why this one is, once again, already a success.
source: cbssports
