Woods-Leonard fan club, Daly warm-up, tempo Olympics
Claire Rogers
Tiger Woods on Saturday at the PNC Championship.
Getty Images
ORLANDO, Fla. — Hello, friends, and happy Saturday! The hotel I’m staying at is full of families here for Disney World, and I can’t help but wonder if they know the real fun is happening down the road at the PNC Championship this weekend. I headed over to the golf course nice and early (after a quick trip to WaWa) so I could watch the other teams warm up before following Team Woods and Team Leonard all day. It was a chilly morning at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, but nothing the New Englander couldn’t handle. It got up to 60 degrees by mid-afternoon, which in my humble opinion is the perfect temperature to watch golf.
OK, let’s get into the action.
In the distance
The golf world was blessed to have Nelly Korda and Fred Couples warm up next to each other on the course two days in a row at the PNC Championship. I looked up “tempo” in the dictionary and this video came up, which is great.
I could watch the couple and Korda hit golf balls all day. They are the proud owners of my favorite golf swings in the world.
A group of young children were clamoring for Korda’s autograph this morning, and when they saw that he was still warming up, they started asking Nelly’s father, Petr Korda, for his autograph. I heard them say, “Thank you, Nelly’s father!” and I realized that maybe they didn’t even know that they got the signature of a tennis great. To them, Petr Korda is just Nelly’s father, not the 1998 Australian Open champion.
John Daly’s warm-up
You know what they say: There’s more than one way to operate a cat. While Korda and Couples had full warm-ups at one end of the range, John Daly was doing things his way down the other end. The two-time major champion took one lap of the course before deciding he had had enough. Related. And his divot pattern? Longing.
It’s been great to see so many different people here at PNC this week, and everything John Daly does is exciting. Skratch shared throwback clips of Tiger explaining how he prepares for the event compared to how John Daly does it, and it’s amazing.
The best cheer team in the PNC Championship
I followed Team Woods and Team Leonard through 18 holes today, and it was a blast. My takeaway is that Justin Leonard’s son, Luke, has an important game. I don’t think he hit a single bad shot all day. His game is so, so consistent and fun to watch. He will play for Villanova University next year (longtime Rogers Report readers will know I was a Wildcat for a year and a half) and currently plays on the high school team with Charlie Woods.
The funnest parts of the day came thanks to Luke Leonard and Sam’s friends and Charlie Woods. Several of their school friends took a trip to Orlando to cheer on their classmates and teammates, and they kept the energy high throughout the day. They were yelling, “Go, Lenny!” when Luke Leonard walked by again, “Let’s go, JL!” when the 1999 Ryder Cup champion came out. A number of young boys circled the pictures of Luke Leonard’s face to raise themselves throughout the round, and became the most supportive group on the course. Every time Tiger made a good hit, they would shout, “Good study, Sam!” and everyone in and out of the ropes loved it. This group of friends was really outstanding on the round, and I think it helped keep things loose and fun for the players and caddies.
Sam Woods is back at his caddy gig here at PNC
— Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) December 21, 2024
One of the highlights of my day was hearing a little back and forth between the Woods brothers, which you can check out right here.
I’m one of five siblings, so I’m an expert when it comes to siblings. More of this on Sunday, please!
Team Woods and Team Leonard didn’t engage with the crowd much Saturday, at least not until the 18th tee. After 17 holes of the second exit, Justin and Luke Leonard were finally honored with the 18th medal. Justin Leonard decided to have fun with it.
After a day of second elimination, Team Leonard finally got the honor with 18.
“I want everyone to know that we officially have them and we will be playing first. I will sink this.” pic.twitter.com/bfDSDZO1WW
— Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) December 21, 2024
Before they left, Leonard walked into the gallery and said, “Tiger and Charlie have been honored all day, and I want everyone to know that we officially have the honors and we’re going to be playing first. I will sink this.” The crowd loved it and Tiger couldn’t help but laugh.
All in all, it was a very exciting day at the PNC Championship, and I look forward to following the final team on Sunday!
Claire Rogers
Golf.com Editor
