Tiger jokes, Festive Easter eggs, PNC fun
Claire Rogers
Tiger Woods on Friday at the PNC Championship.
PGA Tour, Claire Rogers
ORLANDO, Fla. — Hello, friends, and welcome to my favorite golf weekend of the year: The PNC Championship! I’ll be on site all weekend here at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club to tell you all about the best parent-child moments at the event. I drove from Palm Beach to Orlando on Friday morning and arrived at the course in time to follow Tiger’s second nine. This is the first year that Tiger and Charlie Woods are playing on different pro-am teams, so while I haven’t seen too much father-son interaction, I know there will be plenty over the weekend. Team Woods will be accompanying Team Leonard on Saturday morning, and Tiger and Justin Leonard are not the only ones on that team who usually play together. Charlie Woods and Leonard’s son, Luke, are teammates on the high school golf team.
Our high school friends are scheduled to meet their fathers.
Justin Leonard’s son, Luke, is excited to meet Tiger Woods’ son Charlie in the first round of the PNC Championship. pic.twitter.com/C1Hb99IY6K
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) December 20, 2024
Moments like this remind me how glad I am that I grew up in Rhode Island, because there is no way I would have made the high school golf team in Florida. So much talent! Okay, let’s get into it.
Tiger on the course
The best spot at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club (in my humble opinion) is between the 9th green and the 10th green. There is a small path for players, caddies and media to cut through, and there is always a waiting area on the tee box. Although a back-up on the tee box is often seen as a negative, the big thing here at the PNC Championship. When teams get high, players and their families work together. Today, Petr Korda, Tiger and Charlie Woods were all the same for a few minutes. This is also the place where the players are served lunch. Tenders and fried chicken are always a hot commodity here at the PNC Championship.
It was here that I met Tiger’s group, and I quickly noticed that he was the only one in his group who was not using a wheelchair. And trust me, I know Tiger fans can be accused of slavishness when it comes to him, but he looked good out there and I mean it. He was moving with a purpose, and that purpose was to get to the next shot. If you’ve seen a Tiger combine in the past few years, it would sometimes start limping towards the end of the cycle and look like it was avoiding the wrong descent. Not today, folks.
Tiger in the Warrior: I’m not ready for the competition
Tiger today: going all round, playing excellent golf
— Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) December 20, 2024
Tiger has driven the cart and allowed Charlie to take the lead during the pro-ams at the past two PNC tournaments. Today, he was hitting every shot, chatting as he wandered the course and staying on the green to get a few putts in after the rest of his team looked to the next game.
And while I didn’t see Charlie hit shots today, it looks like his game is in great shape. He played one team ahead of Tiger on the back nine, and Tiger was in full dad mode as he tried to catch a glimpse of how Charlie was playing on the back hole.
The funniest part of the day came towards the end of the round, when the guy dressed as candy finally got Tiger’s attention. The tiger thought it was funny and walked over to him to sign his costume.
It was the only autograph I saw Woods sign all afternoon, so there might be a lesson here about what it takes to get a signature from a 15-time major champion. I’ll let you decide if it’s worth it.
Tiger’s jokes
Tiger’s brilliance was on display Friday at the PNC tournament. He was so happy, and my favorite moment of the day came when Tiger saw John Daly and immediately made a joke. Woods told Daly that he would “meet him at the gym,” and after a hug, Daly explained that they both had different three-letter names: Tiger’s “gym,” Daly’s “bar.”
Whenever I see old friends reunite on the golf course, I like to check out Getty Images and find throwback photos. I came across this one of Woods and Daly coming out of the 1997 Memorial Tournament.
Time flies!
Tiger also had fun during his post-round interview, when he replied that his best year on Tour was 2000.
“I think in 2000 I was fine.” He won nine times that year, so I would have to agree.
The tiger is talking to the media
Tiger spoke volumes Friday at the PNC Invitational, but there were two key themes. The first is how happy she is to meet her son this week, and the second is that she wants Charlie to be himself and have his own life.
Tiger was also quick to point out that while Charlie beat him in the nine-hole match, it didn’t happen in the 18-hole match. At least for now.
“Charlie is Charlie … I just want him to be himself and have his life.”
Tiger and Charlie will play for the fifth year in a row at the PNC Championship on Saturday. 🐅 pic.twitter.com/dQ8GNNr7J5
– GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) December 20, 2024
Easter eggs are king
When I think of the Masters, I often think of springtime. However, it turns out that they do quite well for the holidays at Augusta National. Just when I thought the Masters theme song couldn’t get any better, I heard a bell choir version of it and it was quickly proven wrong. The local Augusta Bell choir practiced the Masters theme song for several weeks before this video, and their hard work paid off.
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Not only does this video get me excited for Christmas (which is great considering I went to Florida for two weeks and I keep thinking about its summertime!), it also has a few Easter eggs that I encourage you to check out.
Here’s what you’ll find if you look closely:
- Masters caddy nutcracker
- Augusta National needlepoint decorations
- Holiday-edition Masters gnome
- Masters invitation envelope
- 2025 Masters invitation
Happy searching!
Claire Rogers
Golf.com Editor
