Claire Rogers
December 21, 2024
Tiger Woods plays in the PNC Championship on Saturday.
Getty Images
ORLANDO, Fla. – Hello friends and happy Saturday! My hotel was packed with families visiting Disney World, and I couldn't help but wonder if they knew something really interesting was happening at the PNC Championship this weekend. I hit the golf course early this morning (after a quick trip to Wawa) so I could watch some of the group warm ups before following Team Woods and Leonard all day. It was a very cold morning at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, but nothing this New Englander couldn't stand. By mid-afternoon the temperature reached 60 degrees, which in my humble opinion is the perfect temperature for watching golf.
Okay, let's get started.
within range
The golf world was lucky when Nelly Korda and Fred Couples warmed up side by side on the driving range two days in a row at the PNC Championship. I looked up “rhythm” in the dictionary and this video came up, which was pretty cool.
I could watch Capps and Korda play golf all day long. They are the proud owners of two of my favorite golf swings on the planet.
This morning, a group of little kids were yelling for Korda's autograph, and when they realized she was still warming up, they started asking Nellie's father, Peter Korda, for an autograph. I overheard them say, “Thank you, Nelly's dad!” and realized they probably didn't even know they were getting an autograph from a major tennis champion. To them, Petr Korda is just Nelly's father, not the 1998 Australian Open champion.
John Daly Warm-up
You know what they say: there's more than one way to skin a cat. Korda and Couples warmed up on one end of the training field while John Daly played his way on the other end. The two-time major champion decided he'd had enough after just one swing on the range. Relevant. What about his turf pattern? Aspiring.
It's been fun watching a lot of different characters at PNC this week, and everything John Daley has done is interesting. Skratch shared some throwback clips of Tiger explaining how he prepares for a game and what John Daly does, and it's incredible.
PNC Championship Best Cheerleaders
I played 18 holes with Woods and Leonard today, which was great. My biggest takeaway is that Justin Leonard’s son Luke played some serious games. I didn’t think he hit a bad shot all day. His game is very consistent and fun to watch. He will play for Villanova next year (longtime readers of The Rogers Report will know I spent a year and a half with the Wildcats) and is currently a high school teammate of Charlie Woods.
The funniest part of the day was thanks to friends Luke Leonard, Sam Woods and Charlie Woods. Several of their school friends made the trip to Orlando to cheer on their classmates and teammates, who kept their energy high throughout the day. They'd scream, “Come on, Lenny!” and when Luke Leonard walked by, he'd say, “Let's go, JL!” as the 1999 Ryder Cup hero teed off. Several teenage boys carried around Luke Leonard's mugshot to keep him steady throughout the game, and they were the most supportive group on the court. Whenever Tiger hit a good shot, they yelled, “Good read, Sam!” Everyone inside and outside the ropes loved it. This friend group was really the highlight of the round and I think they helped keep things light and fun for the players and caddies.
Sam Woods returns to caddy at PNC
— Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) December 21, 2024
Another highlight of my day was overhearing some back-and-forth conversation between the Woods siblings, which you can check out here .
I'm one of five siblings, so when it comes to sibling banter, I'm a pro. Please tell me more on Sunday!
Woods and Leonard didn't interact much with the crowd Saturday, at least not until the 18th tee. After 17 holes of teeing off on the second hole, Justin and Luke Leonard were finally honored on the 18th tee. Justin Leonard decided to have some fun.
After a day of second-place kickoffs, Team Leonard finally earned 18th-place honors.
“I want everyone to know that we have official honors and will kick off first. I'm going to soak this in. pic.twitter.com/bfDSDZO1WW
— Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) December 21, 2024
Before kickoff, Leonard walked into the audience and said: “Tiger and Charlie have been honored all day long, and I want everyone to know that we have officially been honored and will kick off first. I want to soak this in. .The audience loved it and Tiger couldn't help but laugh.
Overall, it was a very fun day at the PNC Championship and I'm looking forward to the final set of games on Sunday!
Claire Rogers
Golf Network Editor
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