By: Claire Rogers
December 21, 2024
Tiger Woods connected Saturday astatine the PNC Championship.
Getty Images
ORLANDO, Fla. — Hello, friends, and happy Saturday! The edifice I’m staying astatine is filled pinch families present to sojourn Disney World, and I can’t thief but wonderment if they cognize that the existent nosy is happening down the roadworthy astatine the PNC Championship this weekend. I made my measurement complete to the play people bully and early this greeting (after a speedy travel to WaWa) truthful I could watch immoderate of the groups lukewarm up earlier pursuing Team Woods and Team Leonard each day. It was a very chilly greeting astatine the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, but thing this New Englander couldn’t handle. It sewage up to 60 degrees by mid-afternoon, which successful my humble sentiment is the cleanable somesthesia to watch golf.
OK, let’s get into the action.
On the range
The play world has been blessed pinch Nelly Korda and Fred Couples warming up adjacent to each different connected the scope 2 days successful a statement astatine the PNC Championship. I looked up “tempo” successful the dictionary and this video appeared, which is beautiful cool.
I could watch Couples and Korda deed play balls each time long. They are the proud owners of 2 of my favourite play swings connected the planet.
A group of small kids was yelling for Korda’s autograph this morning, and erstwhile they realized she was still warming up, they started asking Nelly’s dad, Petr Korda, for his autograph. I overheard them saying, “Thank you, Nelly’s dad!” and I realized they astir apt didn’t moreover cognize they sewage the signature of a awesome tennis champion. To them, Petr Korda is conscionable Nelly’s dad, not the 1998 Australian Open champion.
John Daly’s warm-up
You cognize what they say: There’s much than 1 measurement to tegument a cat. While Korda and Couples had afloat warm-ups connected 1 extremity of the range, John Daly did things his ain measurement down astatine the different end. The two-time awesome champion took precisely 1 plaything connected the scope earlier deciding he’d had enough. Relatable. And his divot pattern? Aspirational.
It’s been nosy to observe the galore different personalities present astatine the PNC this week, and everything John Daly does is entertaining. Skratch shared immoderate throwback clips of Tiger explaining really he prepares for an arena versus really John Daly does it, and it’s incredible.
The champion cheer squad astatine the PNC Championship
I followed Team Woods and Team Leonard for 18 holes today, and it was a blast. My biggest takeaway is that Justin Leonard’s son, Luke, has immoderate superior game. I don’t deliberation he deed a azygous bad changeable each day. His crippled is so, truthful accordant and nosy to watch. He’ll play for Villanova University adjacent twelvemonth (longtime Rogers Report readers will cognize that I was a Wildcat for a twelvemonth and a half) and is presently precocious schoolhouse teammates pinch Charlie Woods.
The astir nosy parts of the time came acknowledgment to the friends of Luke Leonard and Sam and Charlie Woods. A fistful of their pals from schoolhouse made the travel up to Orlando to cheer connected their classmates and teammates, and they kept the power precocious each time long. They’d scream, “Go, Lenny!” while Luke Leonard walked by and, “Let’s go, JL!” erstwhile the 1999 Ryder Cup leader teed off. A fistful of the teenage boys carried astir pictures of Luke Leonard’s look to clasp up each passim the round, and they were the astir supportive bunch connected the course. Whenever Tiger deed a bully shot, they’d yell, “Great read, Sam!” and everybody wrong and extracurricular the ropes loved it. This friend group was genuinely the item of the round, and I deliberation they helped support things loose and nosy for the players and the caddies.
Another item of my time was overhearing a small back-and-forth infinitesimal betwixt the Woods siblings, which you tin cheque retired correct here.
I’m 1 of 5 siblings, truthful I’m a pro’s pro erstwhile it comes to related banter. More of this connected Sunday, please!
Team Woods and Team Leonard didn’t prosecute pinch the crowd overmuch connected Saturday, astatine slightest not until the 18th tee box. After 17 holes of teeing disconnected second, Justin and Luke Leonard yet had the honors connected the 18th tee. Justin Leonard decided to person immoderate nosy pinch it.
Before teeing off, Leonard walked complete to the assemblage and said, “Tiger and Charlie person had the honors each day, and I want everyone to cognize that we officially person the honors and will beryllium teeing disconnected first. I’m gonna soak this in.” The crowd loved it and Tiger couldn’t thief but laugh.
Overall, it was a very entertaining time astatine the PNC Championship, and I’m looking guardant to pursuing the last group connected Sunday!
Claire Rogers
Golf.com Editor