Bernhard Langer hit from a different tee box than Tiger Woods

On By Littum

Bernhard Langer is a timeless wonder who wins yet again, this time with his son Jason at the 2024 PNC Championship.

It’s his sixth PNC title and fourth with Jason. This one required a 37th hole as Team Langer was tied with Team Woods at the end of regulation. On the first playoff hole, Langer drained a long putt to win the title.

Over the weekend, however, people watching the event noticed a significant difference between where Tiger and Charlie Woods teed off and where Langer, just six weeks removed from winning the PGA Tour Champions season finale, hit from.

The PNC guidelines for which tee box to use are age-based, with professionals between 64 and 72 able to use the red tee boxes. Langer, who turned 67 in August, hit from the Reds, which is just more than 6,000 yards.

Meanwhile, Tiger and Charlie hit from the tips — no surprise — which checked in at about 7,100 yards.

The PNC Championship is a wonderful event, with teams consisting of a professional who won a major or the Players Championship with a family member who cannot be a professional. Yes, there is prize money at stake. Yes, there was live coverage on the Golf Channel, Peacock and NBC. Yes, the competition was tough. And no, Langer broke no rules.

But perhaps the extra attention to the various tee boxes shows how seriously this event is now taken in the golf landscape. It may still be a “silly season” event, but it’s no “clap and giggle.”