It was fitting that Bernhard Langer became the most successful player in PNC Championship history by beating Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods in a play-off on Sunday.
Bernhard Langer made a brilliant eagle putt on the first additional hole to secure his fourth title alongside his son Jason, while it was his sixth victory in the PNC Championship overall.
It had been a phenomenal contest between Team Langer and Tiger Woods and his son Charlie. The two teams set the record for the lowest score to par in the event’s history as they both got to 28 under across the two rounds. Meanwhile, Charlie Woods would make his first ever hole in one on Sunday.
It is surprising that Team Woods is still awaiting its first win in the event. And they would have been forgiven for feeling particularly disappointed after coming so close in 2024.
Bernhard Langer reacts to playing alongside Tiger Woods during the final round of the PNC Championship
However, Tiger Woods could be seen with a huge smile on his face as he congratulated the two-time Masters champion on their triumph. And speaking afterwards, Bernhard Langer shared what he thought of playing alongside both Tiger and Charlie during the final round.
“I was one of the first to play with [Tiger] when he turned pro. But that was a long time ago. He’s come a long way and won a lot of tournaments since. But they couldn’t have been nicer,” he said.
“Both of them, truly very gentlemen-like. Fun to be with. Competitive. You could see they wanted to win this, and they played awesome.
“I mean, 15-under, that’s hard to do in windy conditions. They played really great. I’m just so proud of [Jason]. First time playing with Tiger on the spotlight. It’s not easy. A lot of people are moving. They are really not always interested in what we do, and sometimes we hit good shots, and we heard like, you know, [indicating soft clap] so we never really knew whether we’re close or not at times.”
How Woods has changed throughout his career
Obviously, Woods’ career is not going to be judged by how he fared in the PNC Championship. But it is notable just how much he seemed to enjoy the experience, playing alongside Charlie while his daughter Sam was on his bag.
He seemed to relish the moments when the pressure was on; there seemed to still be that same look in his eye as he prepared to hit his approaches in 18 on Sunday. But the 15-time major champion seemed thrilled for Team Langer after their victory.
Perhaps it is not the most important tournament in the schedule, but Woods would clearly love to win it alongside Charlie. So the fact that he enjoyed it so much says a lot about how he has changed over the years.
Geoff Ogilvy noted that Woods would not talk on Saturday and Sunday when he was in contention in tournaments in his prime. And you would imagine that he may adopt a similar approach if he ever finds himself in a similar position on the PGA Tour again.
However, from the outside, Woods appears to have enjoyed his golf a lot more over the last decade – perhaps due to the stage of his career he finds himself at.
Hopefully, there are plenty more tournaments still to come. But it is fantastic to see that side of Woods.
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