The PNC Father/Son Challenge is an event that is open to players who have won a major or The Players Championship and a partner who does not hold a PGA Tour-sanctioned card.
The winners of the 2018 edition, Davis and Dru Love, hope that they won’t be able to team up again in the future… and so do their competitors.
The Loves went off on Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Course in Orlando shooting a 16-under par (!) 56 in the final round to set the tournament course record and win by three shots over Big and Little John Daly, Retief and Leo Goosen and Stewart and Connor Cink.
”Who knows? This might be our last time playing, so it was fun to finish it off,” Davis Love III said. (Dru’s) been very competitive this week. After a slow start yesterday, it’s nice to get it going and get another win. He carried me all the way through this one. He played great. It was fun to watch him hit so many good shots and make so many putts. I didn’t have to putt much today, which was nice.”
Dru, a 25-year-old University of Alabama product, has made 17 starts on the PGA, European and Web.com Tours, but he does not hold membership currently on any PGA Tour-sanctioned circuit, thus making him eligible for the competition, much to the chagrin of the cadre of father and son teams behind them.
Far be it from me to criticize a PGA Tour Challenge Event (TM), but how is it OK that Davis Love III and Dru Love, a winning professional golfer, are allowed to beat up on John Daly and his amateur teenage son?
— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) December 16, 2018
Afterward, the Loves were recounting their round and victory with a scrum of reporters when Jack Nicklaus poked his head in and told Dru, “Get your PGA Tour card and get out of here.”
First-round leaders Big and Little John Daly couldn’t muster their Saturday magic on Sunday, shooting a still-strong 10-under par 62.
What a great week @pncfatherson Time spent with my son & playing golf along side of him is the best gift ever! Having the family together is the one constant element in life! #fatherson #celebratefamily #father #son #family #golf @etonicgolf @LoudmouthGolf @rockbottomgolf #USA pic.twitter.com/HjMYVrbISc
— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) December 17, 2018
“What a great week @pncfatherson,” the elder Daly tweeted. “Time spent with my son & playing golf alongside of him is the best gift ever! Having the family together is the one constant element in life!”
