ORLANDO, Fla. — Hello, friends, and happy Saturday! The hotel I’m staying at is filled with families here to visit Disney World, and I can’t help but wonder if they know that the real fun is happening down the road at the PNC Championship this weekend. I made my way over to the golf course nice and early this morning (after a quick trip to WaWa) so I could watch some of the groups warm up before following Team Woods and Team Leonard all day. It was a very chilly morning at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, but nothing this New Englander couldn’t handle. It got up to 60 degrees by mid-afternoon, which in my humble opinion is the perfect temperature to watch golf.
OK, let’s get into the action.
On the range
The golf world has been blessed with Nelly Korda and Fred Couples warming up next to each other on the range two days in a row at the PNC Championship. I looked up “tempo” in the dictionary and this video appeared, which is pretty cool.
I could watch Couples and Korda hit golf balls all day long. They are the proud owners of two of my favorite golf swings on the planet.
A group of little kids was yelling for Korda’s autograph this morning, and once 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 probably didn’t even know they got the signature of a major tennis champion. To them, Petr Korda is just Nelly’s dad, not the 1998 Australian Open champion.
John Daly’s warm-up
You know what they say: There’s more than one way to skin a cat. While Korda and Couples had full warm-ups on one end of the range, John Daly did things his own way down at the other end. The two-time major champion took exactly one swing on the range before deciding he’d had enough. Relatable. And his divot pattern? Aspirational.
It’s been fun to observe the many different personalities here at the PNC this week, and everything John Daly does is entertaining. Skratch shared some throwback clips of Tiger explaining how he prepares for an event versus how John Daly does it, and it’s incredible.
The best cheer squad at 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 some serious game. I don’t think he hit a single bad shot all day. His game is so, so consistent and fun to watch. He’ll play for Villanova University next year (longtime Rogers Report readers will know that I was a Wildcat for a year and a half) and is currently high school teammates with Charlie Woods.
The most fun parts of the day came thanks to the friends of Luke Leonard and Sam and Charlie Woods. A handful of their pals from school made the trip up to Orlando to cheer on their classmates and teammates, and they kept the energy high all day long. They’d scream, “Go, Lenny!” while Luke Leonard walked by and, “Let’s go, JL!” when the 1999 Ryder Cup hero teed off. A handful of the teenage boys carried around pictures of Luke Leonard’s face to hold up all throughout the round, and they were the most supportive bunch on the course. Whenever Tiger hit a good shot, they’d yell, “Great read, Sam!” and everybody inside and outside the ropes loved it. This friend group was truly the highlight of the round, and I think they helped keep things loose and fun for the players and the caddies.
Sam Woods has returned to her caddie gig here at the PNC
Another highlight of my day was overhearing a little back-and-forth moment between the Woods siblings, which you can check out right here.
I’m one of five siblings, so I’m a pro’s pro when it comes to sibling banter. More of this on Sunday, please!
Team Woods and Team Leonard didn’t engage with the crowd much on Saturday, at least not until the 18th tee box. After 17 holes of teeing off second, Justin and Luke Leonard finally had the honors on the 18th tee. Justin Leonard decided to have some fun with it.
After a day of teeing off second, Team Leonard finally has the honors on 18.
“I want everyone to know that we officially have the honors and will be teeing off first. I’m gonna soak this in.” pic.twitter.com/bfDSDZO1WW
Before teeing off, Leonard walked over to the gallery and said, “Tiger and Charlie have had the honors all day, and I want everyone to know that we officially have the honors and will be teeing off first. I’m gonna soak this in.” The crowd loved it and Tiger couldn’t help but laugh.
Overall, it was a very entertaining day at the PNC Championship, and I’m looking forward to following the final group on Sunday!
