Woods, son rally late but bow to Thomases
ORLANDO, Fla. — Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods traded text messages on the eve of the final round at the PNC Championship, their teams tied for the lead and in contention. Neither mentioned winning.
This was about Woods getting to play alongside 11-year-old son Charlie, watching him twirl the club after a good drive and, yes, even deliver a fist pump in his red shirt Sunday. For Thomas, it was about competing with his father, Mike, a longtime club professional in Kentucky and the lone coach he’s ever had.
Team Thomas birdied the opening seven holes, and the father delivered a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that gave them a 15-under-par 57 in the scramble format and a one-shot victory over Vijay Singh and son Qass.
They won the Willie Park Trophy. It only felt like the other 19 teams won a participation trophy.
“Memories we’ll have for our entire lives,” Woods said after he and Charlie posted another 62 to finish seventh. “He’s not going to appreciate this at 11 years old. I didn’t when I was with my dad. As the years go by, you start appreciating it more.”
Woods and his son dressed in his traditional Sunday red with black trousers. Charlie’s mother, Elin Nordegren, walked the final round at The Ritz-carlton Club at Grande Lakes, her first time at a tournament since the 2009 Presidents Cup at Harding Park.
The Woodses played the final six holes in 6 under, too late by then to do anything about Thomas and his father. Thomas, a former world No. 1 and PGA champion, has grown close to the Woods clan and talked in the days leading up to this event about how badly Charlie wants to beat him.
Mike Thomas said young Woods took $1 off him on the putting green Saturday and said with a laugh, “I’ll show him what I got here.” Mike Thomas specializes in working with juniors and spends time with Charlie when he’s in Florida.
Thomas, who has multiple PGA Tour titles in each of his last four years, wasn’t about to compare this with with his PGA Championship, World Golf Championships or any other of his 13 tour victories. Even so, he called the PNC Championship “100 percent the most enjoyable.”
When his father holed the birdie putt, he said he knew 10 teams still were on the course and it still felt as though the tournament was over.
“A part of you didn’t care who won,” he said. “We were here as father and son to enjoy a special moment.”