Live updates: Tiger and Charlie Woods at the PNC Championship ...

December is all about family traditions, and today begins a relatively new one that has quickly become one of the golf world’s favorites.

Tiger and Charlie Woods begin the PNC Championship today at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. This is the fourth consecutive year that Team Woods has teed it up in this 36-hole, parent-child scramble.

While Woods’ career once was defined by his performances in March, April, June and July, December has become the month of Tiger. The PNC comes a couple weeks after his Hero World Challenge, which Woods played a couple weeks ago. It was his first tournament since having fusion surgery on an ankle joints after this year’s Masters.

Woods finished 18th in the Hero’s 20-man field, displaying some promising signs while also showing the expected rust and fatigue after his long layoff. Now he is ready to play in the tournament he jokingly refers to as his fifth major.

Injuries have limited Tiger’s tournament schedule over the past few years, so the PNC has offered a rare glimpse at the 82-time TOUR winner. But there’s more to the event’s popularity than that. The PNC also allows us to see Tiger play the role of father, revealing the human side of a player who once ruthlessly dominated his PGA TOUR peers, decimating the competition with a machinelike consistency.

Like his dad, we only see glimpses of Charlie as he competes during the year. The PNC is the only time his game is on display for an entire round. For the other 11 months, there are only brief videos posted online by onlookers or snippets showing the leaderboard from the high school and junior events where Tiger often caddies for Charlie.

There is a fascination around the son of arguably golf’s greatest player, fueled by the powerful swing he has displayed since his preteen days, as well as the myriad ways he mirrors his father. Fans are curious to see the development of a player who has access to some of golf’s greatest minds, including his father, as well as Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy.

“He’s still growing,” Tiger said Friday. “You can see how much he’s grown from last year. It’s amazing how much has grown, has changed, and it’s a moving target with him, right? He’s grown somewhere near 4 inches this year, so his swing has changed, it’s evolved, clubs have evolved.”

Today, the golf world will be fascinated as father and son begin their pursuit of their first PNC title. Their best finish was runner-up to John Daly and his son, John II, in 2021. The Woodses will tee off at 8:22 a.m. today after Saturday’s tee times were pushed up because of inclement weather. They’ll be paired with their usual playing partners, Justin and Mike Thomas. Follow here for live updates from the day.

It wouldn’t be the PNC Championship without comparisons between Tiger and Charlie. After Charlie hits another drive over 300 yards, father and son are shown making similar, smooth practice swings next to each other as they prepare for the 93-yard approach shot on the ninth hole. Then the telecast shows side-by-side comparisons of Charlie’s current swing with Tiger’s action when he was 15 years old and winning his first U.S. Junior Amateur at nearby Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Tiger and Charlie Woods’ swing comparison

Notah Begay notes that Charlie can reach clubhead speeds between 115-120 mph. The PGA TOUR average in 2023 was 115 mph.

Tiger hits his wedge about 10 feet past the hole, and after Charlie narrowly misses, Tiger pours it in. They make the turn in 4-under 32. The Kuchars are now 12 under through 14, however.

Tiger and Charlie both two-putt from the fringe on the par-3 eighth hole, with Tiger leaving his putt agonizingly short. Charlie drops to his knees as Tiger’s attempt stops inches short of the hole, right in the middle.

The most interesting part of this hole was the conversation between Dan Hicks and Notah Begay about Tiger the golf dad. Charlie has been competing in Begay’s series of junior tournaments as part of his competitive schedule. Begay admits “it’s quite an undertaking when Tiger comes on property anywhere” but also notes how hard Tiger tries to not be a distraction when he’s caddying for Charlie or simply in his gallery. That, of course, is impossible.

“He demonstrated a lot of respect for all those other kids,” Begay says, “and was just happy to see Charlie competing.”

Here we go! After a methodical start, Charlie produced several highlights on the seventh hole. It started when Charlie drove it over a penalty area and into a greenside bunker on the dogleg-right par-4. His ball carried the hazard by just a few yards before bouncing into a greenside bunker. Notah Begay noted that Charlie, 14, can “cruise” at a ball speed in the mid-170s with his driver.

“For his age, (that’s) quite a lot of ball speed,” Begay said.

The next shot may have been even more impressive, though. Facing a bunker shot of about 40 yards that required a long carry over the sand, Charlie opened the face of his sand wedge wide open and took an aggressive swing that resulted in a high, spinning shot that stopped a couple feet from the hole.

Charlie Woods' bunker play leads to birdie at PNC Championship

Charlie made the putt, as well, for the team’s first one-putt and first birdie on a hole that is not on a par-5. They’re now 3 under through seven holes, but the Kuchars continue they’re incredible pace. They’re 11 under on their first 12 holes.

Team Woods continues to lean on Charlie’s driving. Even though he moved back a set of tees this year, he’s still hitting it past Tiger and JT. On the sixth hole, the Woodses had just 89 yards remaining for their approach shot.

Charlie hit first, but was disappointed with the shot immediately. He one-armed the follow through as his ball sailed onto the putting surface, but well short and right of the target. The mishit provides Notah Begay the opportunity for some great analysis:

“It’s just that (Charlie’s) transition generates a lot of lag in the full swing but you have to shallow it out in those shorter clubs,” Begay said. “You could tell he just got steep on that, the ball slid up the face and went high and right, which is exactly what it should do if you get steep on a wedge.”

Before Tiger hits, Begay says, “Now let the master show you how to shallow it out, how to flatten the flight and control the distance.” Tiger does exactly that, as his ball is directly on-line, sailing about 12 feet past the flag. After Charlie misses, Tiger can’t take advantage of getting the read. His putt lips out.

“That’s a head-scratcher,” Begay says after Tiger misses the relatively simple birdie putt. They remain 2 under after six holes. They’ve two-putted every hole they’ve played.

Charlie’s ability with the long-irons is the biggest revelation thus far. On both par-5s they’ve played, Charlie has hit the green in two with a long-iron from more than 200 yards. This time, he found the putting surface from 210 yards, four yards closer than his approach on the par-5 third. Impressive stuff for a 14-year-old.

Charlie Woods waves at tee shot, hits fairway at PNC Championship

Team Woods had just an iron into another par-5 because of another roasted drive from Charlie. He displayed the full recoil and then waved at his ball and walked after it, leaving his tee in the ground. Justin Thomas told Charlie that he’d snag the tee, to which Charlie replied, “Ya, you get that.” Trash talk is always part of the Woods-Thomas dynamic. Tiger has described Justin as the little brother he never had, and Justin and Charlie have the same dynamic.

Unlike the third hole, however, Dad showed up his son and hit his approach closer than Charlie’s. After making just one birdie in the first four holes, an eagle here would be a huge lift for the Woodses, who are currently beating just one team. Instead, it’s another two-putt.

While another birdie is helpful, it’s also a bit disappointing.

Tiger Woods birdies No. 5 at PNC Championship

Like the previous hole, Tiger left his putt short, bemoaning his lack of aggressiveness in the scramble format. With Charlie already close to the hole, Tiger didn’t have to worry about hitting his putt close to the hole. He was only concerned with making it. “It’s a scramble,” Tiger says in amazement, to which Justin sarcastically replies, “It’s a hell of a two-putt, though.” That’s not what the Woodses need. They’re 2 under through five, five behind the Kuchars, who shot 7-under 29 on the front.

The sound of rain drops crackling on umbrellas can be heard on the broadcast as the anticipated precipitation arrives in Orlando. Tiger was wearing white pants to complement his peach shirt, but he now has the rain pants on. One note of interest is that Charlie’s pullover is not made by Nike, the brand that Tiger has worn for the entirety of his pro career, but instead is from Greyson, the same brand that Justin Thomas wears.

Course management and strategy were always an important part of Tiger’s success, and Team Woods used a bit of it on the par-3 fourth hole. Charlie hit first from the forward tees, aiming toward the middle of the green so Dad could take aim at the flag tucked behind a bunker. Tiger hit it to about 15 feet, and two two-putts meant another par. This would be a great start if this was a U.S. Open, but pars won’t allow the Woodses to keep pace in this scramble format. They’re now 1 under after four holes after four two-putting every hole, including the par-5 third.

The third hole is where Charlie displayed some of the skills that makes fans so curious about his potential. Charlie’s tee shot on the par-5 third left Team Woods with 214 yards to the green. Charlie, 14, hit the green with an iron, leaving the team a lengthy eagle putt after Tiger pulled his attempt at the approach shot well left of the green. Charlie possesses the power to reach the green with an iron but his swing also was well-balanced, a combination of speed and grace that his father showed in his earlier days. Notah Begay noted on the broadcast that balance is something Tiger and Charlie have been working on in Charlie’s swing. Team Woods earned its first birdie after Tiger cozied their long eagle putt a couple inches from the hole.

Tiger and Charlie Woods make birdie at PNC Championship

They’re now 1-under par, five behind the team of Matt Kuchar and his son, Cameron, who have birdied six of their first eight holes. Matt had two top-10s in three starts in the FedExCup Fall, and Cameron is a promising junior player who made it to U.S. Open Final Qualifying this year.

The Woodses once again had a wedge in hand from the fairway but couldn’t convert. Charlie hit his approach from 114 yards in the fairway over the green, while Tiger’s approach went about 17 feet past the flag. Both Tiger and Charlie two-putted for the par.

Par on the first hole. That’s not going to get it done in this scramble format, where the winning score is often around 25-under par for the 36 holes. Even with Charlie moving back a set of tees, his driver is still a huge asset. From the forward tees, Charlie’s drive went well past the tee shots of Tiger and JT. Charlie also hit the closest approach shot of the four. NBC’s Notah Begay, a college teammate and close friend of Tiger, noted that Tiger has been helping Charlie develop a wider array of wedge shots, and it paid off as Charlie hit it to about 12 feet from 80 yards. After using both Charlie’s tee shot and approach, neither of the Woodses could convert the birdie putt, however.

One thing to note is that carts are allowed at the PNC Championship, which is one reason that Tiger has played this event over the years. NBC’s Peter Jacobsen noted that Tiger walked all 18 holes in Friday’s pro-am. Jacobsen also noted how well Woods was getting on to his left side through impact. Woods found the fairway with his opening tee shot. Thomas outdrove Woods by about 15 yards on the opening hole.

A reminder that Charlie has moved back a set of tees this year. He is now playing a course that measures 6,576 yards. Charlie will compete from the same tees as a few of his fellow amateurs (Reagan Cink, John Daly II, Brady Duval and others) as well as some of the game’s most accomplished professionals.

Steve Stricker, Vijay Singh, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Nelly Korda and John Daly – all major winners on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions or LPGA – are among the players who will compete this week from the same distance as Charlie.

A year ago, Charlie played from tees that were roughly 500 yards shorter. There were some holes where Tiger Woods would send his son up first to drive, and if he hit the fairway, Tiger didn’t need to leave his cart to hit.

There are only seven players in the field – including Tiger Woods – who will play tees deeper than those from which Charlie will compete. The extra yardage did not seem to face Charlie in a final practice round on Friday. He will be able to get to the par-5 holes with ease (the exception being the 585-yard 14th), and there are even a few par 4s (Nos. 10 and 13) that Tiger wants him to aggressively try to drive.

We’re still a few minutes from the first tee shots for Tiger and Charlie Woods, but a crowd is already gathered around the first tee in anticipation. And we already have some news. Tiger’s daughter, Sam, will be on the bag for him today.

There were questions about who would caddie for Tiger after his longtime looper, Joe LaCava, went to work for Patrick Cantlay earlier this year. Tiger employed his friend, Rob McNamara, who also serves as the vice president of Tiger’s TGR Venture, at the Hero World Challenge. McNamara also was on the bag in Friday’s practice round. But Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis tweeted Saturday morning that Sam would be on the bag.

Sam, 16, was born a day after Tiger finished runner-up in the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont. She impressed with her poise at the podium when she introduced her father at last year’s World Golf Hall of Fame induction.

“My dad found himself in a position to make an 18-foot putt to force a U.S. Open playoff, which he missed by a foot,” she said in that speech. “He then had to rush to the airport, fly from Pittsburgh to Orlando, and drive to the Winnie Palmer Hospital. Within five minutes of walking into the hospital room, still wearing his red golf shirt, on June 18, I was born. He may have lost that day, but he won the greatest gift of all.”

Her speech was both humorous and emotional, eliciting tears from her father.

“I realized while writing this speech that, no matter what life throws our way, we somehow come out together and stronger. You know, train hard, fight easy,” she said, echoing the mantra that her grandfather, Earl Woods, passed on to Tiger.

Tiger and Sam Woods on the range at PNC Championship