Matt Kuchar and his college-bound son Cameron fired a blistering 15-under 57 to take a two-shot lead over John Daly and his son in the PNC Championship on Saturday. The Kuchars made birdie on all but three holes in the scramble format at the Ritz-Carlton Club in Orlando, with Cameron shouldering much of the load.
“He’s the horse and the saddle. That’s all there is to it,” Daly said of his own son, John Daly II, who’s the Southern Amateur champion and a senior at Arkansas.
Cameron, who’s headed to TCU next year, started hot by drilling a driver and hitting wedge to a foot on the first hole for birdie. Matt followed with a drive, wedge and putt for birdie on the next. That’s when Cameron got the idea to keep track of “solo birdies” made on their own shots.
“He ran a tally up. It was way higher than my tally of solo birdies,” Kuchar admitted about his son. “He got the best of me today.”
This game within a game—which Cameron won—carried them to the low score of the day and a chance to win the Willie Park Trophy, a red belt that goes to the winning team.
The only hiccup came at the par-5 14th hole with water running down the left side. Both Kuchars were in the fairway. Both hit into the water. They had to scramble for par, which in this format felt like dropping a shot.
“You do feel a bit deflated walking away from a par particularly after the drive he hit,” Kuchar said. “Best thing you can do is just get right back on it, and Cam did that on the next.”
The tournament brings together players who have won majors or The Players Championship with one of their children or a parent. Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland joined as the lone newcomer among 20 teams. He’s recovering from brain surgery in September 2023 while his father, Dan, is a cancer survivor. They shot 61.
Sunday’s final round will also use the scramble format, where each team hits from the best ball, setting up a sprint to the finish with several teams still in contention, including two featuring women.
Steve Stricker and daughter Izzi, a sophomore at Wisconsin, sit at 12-under 60 along with two-time LPGA major champion Nelly Korda and her father, former Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda.
Also at 60 are Davis Love III and Davis Love IV—who goes by Dru. They’ve won this event twice before (2012 and 2018). Dru previously held an Asian Tour card which kept him from playing the PNC, but he’s currently without a tour card, allowing the Loves to enter late when several players—including Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Gary Player—withdrew due to injuries or health issues.
The Dalys, who are past champions after beating Tiger Woods and his son Charlie in 2021, are right in the hunt at 13-under. The younger Daly delivered the goods on the par-5 closing hole with an 8-iron from 190 yards to 10 feet.
Annika Sorenstam and her son, Will McGee, are in the group at 11-under 61 that includes the Woodlands and Justin Leonard with his college son Luke (Villanova). David Duval and his son also posted 61, matching two-time defending champions Bernhard Langer and his Wall Street son Jason.
