ORLANDO, Fla. — Matt Kuchar and his college-bound son had a great Saturday at the PNC Championship, birdieing all but three holes for a 15-under 57 and a two-stroke lead over John Daly and his college-bound son. Both sons carried the load in a scramble format.
“He’s a horse and a saddle, that’s all,” two-time major champion Daley said of Southern Amateur champion and University of Arkansas senior John Daley II.
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Cameron Kuchar, who will attend TCU next year, drilled his driver on the first hole and hit a wedge to his foot for a birdie. Kuchar also drove, wedged and putted for another birdie. That’s when Cameron had the idea to record the “solo birdies” he got on his shots.
“He broke the record. It was much higher than my solo birdie record,” Kuchar said of his son. “He brought out the best in me today.”
Cameron wins the match in the game, forcing him to a low score at the Ritz-Carlton Club, giving him a chance to win the Willie Park Trophy, the red belt given to the winning team.
PNC Championship 2025 – Round 1
PNC Championship 2025: Final Round Scramble Tee Times and Pairings
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Paired with tee times for the final round of team events featuring major winners and their families.
The only problem was the par-5 14th hole, where water poured down the left side. Both were in the fairway. Both fell into the water. They needed to scramble for par, but in this format it felt like a bogey.
“Especially after he hit that drive, I feel like it’s a little bit of a let down when you come away from par,” Kuchar said. “The best thing to do is get back on track quickly, and Cam did that the next day.”
This tournament is popular among players who have won majors at The Players Championship, and they bring one child or parent to participate. Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland was the only newcomer among the 20 teams. He is recovering from brain surgery in September 2023, and his father, Dan, is a cancer survivor. They fired 61 shots.
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Sunday’s final round was also in a scramble format, with each team trying to hit from their favorite ball, leaving several teams remaining, two of which were girls, and they had to sprint to the finish line.
Steve Stricker and his daughter Izzy, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, finished 60th at 12 under, along with two-time LPGA major champion Nelly Korda and her father, former Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda.
The 60-year-old also has Davis Love III and Davis Love IV (also known as Drew), who won twice in 2012 and 2018. Drew Love couldn’t play on PNC because he had an Asian Tour card, but he no longer has a card on any tour, and Loves was a late entry as a number of players, including Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Gary Player, were unable to play due to injury or health issues.
Daley and Little John are also past champions, defeating Woods and his son Charlie in 2021. Son took a stunning victory on the final par-5 hole with an 8-iron from 190 yards to 10 feet.
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Annika Sorenstam and her son Will McGee were in an 11-under 61 group that also included Woodlands and Justin Leonard and his college-aged son Luke (Villanova). David Duvall and his son, two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer and Wall Street’s son Jason, also turned 61.
