Bernhard and Jason Langer win 2014 PNC Father Son Challenge
Bernhard and Jason Langer (pictured above) won the PNC Father-Son Challenge this afternoon, closing with a 13-under 59 for a two-stroke victory in the better-ball event. They finished at 23-under 123 at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club’s Grande Lake Orlando.
Jason is the youngest competitor to win the event at the age of 14. He broke the record set by brother Stefan in 2005 when he was 15. It was quite a story as Jason only ended up playing because his sister Christina withdrew because of back issues.
”It was an unbelievable, magical week, just like the whole year,” Bernhard Langer said. ”Jason, I’ve been watching him play golf for several years now and he has played better the last two days than he has ever played in his whole life, under this kind of pressure. It’s unbelievable. … I am so proud of him.”
The win earned the Langer’s the sum of $200,000. Bernhard, who has played in the tournament nine previous times, joins Raymond Floyd and Larry Nelson as the only other players to win the event with two different sons. Langer won with his son Stefan in 2005 and 2006.
”Just to be out here, I was hoping for maybe a top 10, even a top five if I played really well, but nothing near like this,” Jason Langer said. ”I was satisfied with the way I played. I made a few putts today and, as expected, he played really well. Yesterday, we were burning a lot of edges. We missed a few short ones we wish we’d have gotten back. Today, it was really good. I left them out there the first three holes, but he made up for it and he drained them. Those first three were so key today.”
Davis Love III and son Dru, who won the event on 2012, came second after a fine round of 59 while Curtis and Tom Strange tied joint third with Vijay and Qass Singh at 20 under.
Defending champions Stewart and Connor Cink tied for eighth while Jack Nicklaus and son Jack II tied for 15th at 11 under as they carded a 66.
”We had a lot of (birdie) opportunities, for sure,” Jack Nicklaus (pictured above) said. ”We didn’t make much all week. When you are finishing where we did, you don’t make many putts. You make a lot of putts, you finish up. Any time I play, I want to be competitive and we just weren’t very competitive. I particularly, Jackie didn’t play too bad. Jackie played reasonable well.”
Spectators on the 7th hole enjoyed a treat as Shaun O’Meara (pictured above) hit a 7 iron 174 yards for a hole in one. Afterwards he said, “You don’t want it be on TV. Everybody sees it. That’s the worst part – every volunteer I walked by was saying, ‘Hey, what drink are you buying me after the round?” I was trying to do the math in my head, thinking, ‘Oh, man.’”
The event will return next year to the same venue as PNC announced they have continued their sponsorship until 2018.
