Tiger Woods is returning to the PNC Championship, the 36-hole event that has become one of his favourites because of his partner – his son, Charlie.

The PNC Championship has come to an end with Bernhard Langer and son Jason Langer having the last laugh. The action-packed extravaganza that went on for two days was nothing but entertaining. Despite all the action and the Langer’s glorious three-peat with his son Jason, the duo whose presence echoed through the Ritz-Carlton corridors has been Tiger Woods and his son Charlie. With the event done and dusted, there’s one question that remains, though.

The 2023 PNC Championship can be called the unofficial PGA Tour showstopper of the year. This exhilarating experience ignites a frenzy among fans and players alike, ticking all the entertainment boxes. The event was also the second time Tiger Woods was in action after his Hero World Challenge comeback. And although the PNC Championship is more inclined towards embracing the family aspect, it also doesn’t ignore the money perspective. So, how much did Team Woods earn after they paired up yet again for the event?

Team Woods finished in T5 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club with a massive comeback on the final day, which included Jr. Woods’ incredible chip-in. With a priceless reaction from Tiger Woods, Charlie’s remarkable shot-making won the father-son duo a five-figure payout of $47,000. Considering Team Woods was tied with three other teams in T5 (all of whom finished 19 strokes below par), all the pairs will receive the $47K prize money, marking this moment as something unique in the history of the PNC Championship.

Apart from the popular duo, the champs, Bernhard and Jason Langer, will get a total prize money of $200,000. Whereas popular partners like Nelly Korda-Petr Korda and Justin Thomas-Mike Thomas will be receiving $42,750 each. Annika Sorenstam and Will McGee, whose tears stole the hearts of fans, will have to settle for $43,750. That being said, the PNC Championship is far bigger than its decent prize pool. The priceless moments players share with their families would likely be their biggest takeaways from this wondrous event. Well, at least that’s the case with one of the two members of Team Woods.

While Tiger ‘bonded’ with his son, Charlie focused on a crucial improvement area

Coming into the PNC Championship, Tiger Woods expressed his admiration for how much his son’s game had grown over the past year. For him, the event was an opportunity to play alongside Charlie, watching him take the golf community by storm. And that’s precisely what Jr Woods did. His chip-in was one of many astonishing shots the 14-year-old made, another one of which was his 321-yard drive. But what followed that drive – both he and Tiger missed their putts for an eagle attempt – is what left him disappointed, among other things. And he revealed the duo’s aspect that needs improving.

After the event, Charlie said, “I drove the ball really good today. Didn’t miss a fairway and still managed to shoot eight-under. We just suck at putting.” While he focused on the competitive side of the event, his father couldn’t help but reflect on the fun outing he had with Charlie, staying true to the point of the PNC Championship. Tiger said, “I just have a lot more fun doing it with him. We have so much fun at home practicing and playing games. It’s a special bonding that happens that not a lot of parents get a chance to have.” 

A lot has changed about golf since Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, started playing the PNC Championship three years ago. A lot has changed with them, too.

Woods — at the time, one year removed from his improbable 2019 Masters victory — had his car accident at the beginning of 2021 and has undergone multiple surgeries since then, only playing intermittently throughout. Charlie has changed the most, though. Gone is the child who hit it as far as he possibly could and talked trash to Justin Thomas.

“I can’t quite give him as much grief anymore because he’s close to beating me up,” said Thomas. “Yeah, it’s impressive from a golfer standpoint because he’s still, what, 14. He’s still a 14-year-old but maturing in the sense of his golf game, and he’s more willing to learn and he’s open to it at times, obviously.

“It’s cool. He won the state championship with the guys. That’s really cool, I think playing on the high school team has been very beneficial for him. And yeah, I’m just glad he keeps moving back tee markers. He’s leading the tournament in inches grown.”

Perhaps in yards gained off the tee, too.

“He’s one tee further back, so I guess he’s tee No. 2,” said Tiger. “He’s just one tee ahead of me, which is fine because he’s hitting it past me now. So we still have an advantage out there, but we both have to hit shots well at the same time.”

On Friday, Tiger said that he has enjoyed caddying for his son and also instructing him throughout. Giving him what shots to hit, how to hit them and what he’s thinking in certain situations.

“[The biggest change in his game from last year is] understanding how to hit shots,” said Tiger. “But I think his speed has gone dramatically up since last year. But I think that more than anything, it’s just the fact that he’s grown so fast. The aches and pains of growing, just teenage life.”

Tiger did give one eye-opening quote about how good Charlie’s swing is and how much speed he has off the tee, while also noting that he never has to push him because of how self-motivated his son is to get better.

“I sort of didn’t have the speed that he has at that age, but also, I didn’t have the equipment, either,” said Tiger. “The equipment is so different. We were just transitioning out of persimmon, so it’s a different era, but also, the different golf ball, too. We were able to do so much more with the golf ball. I would hit different shots and do more things with the golf ball because it just moved a lot more.”