Team Langer edges Team Woods in PNG playoff

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods never had so much fun losing in a playoff. For the 67-year-old Bernhard Langer, it never gets old winning the PNC Championship with his son.

They all delivered a riveting show Sunday, from 15-year-old Charlie Woods making his first hole-in-one to Langer hitting the shot that ultimately mattered, an 18-foot eagle putt on the first playoff hole for his record sixth title in the tournament where everyone leaves happy.

“That was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to have that moment with Charlie, make his first hole-in-one, (daughter) Sam on the bag, just our family and friends. That’s what this event is about. It’s about bonding and family,” Woods said.

“I know we didn’t win, but it was the fact that we competed,” he said. “No one really made a mistake out there. We had to earn it, and that’s what you want to have. Hats off to Langers. They played amazing.”

Langer and 24-year-old son Jason won for the second straight year, and Langer became the only player to win the PNC Championship back-to-back with two sons as partners. He won twice (2005 and 2006) with Stefan, who caddied Sunday for his little brother.

What made this one special was the opponent.

Woods, playing for the first time since a sixth surgery on his lower back in September, was moving well and delivering key shots in a duel at such a high level that both teams made only four pars and shot 15-under 57 in the scramble format.

Woods hit driver off the deck on the par-5 14th. Langer followed by hitting driver out of a bunker on that hole and nearly finding the green, landing in a greenside bunker.

“One of the best shots I’ve ever seen,” Woods said of Langer, who turned pro three years before Woods was born.

Jason Langer is an investment banker in New York who doesn’t play all that much. But he handled the stage — playing with Tiger Woods isn’t easy for seasoned pros — like he had been there before.

“I’m just so proud of him,” Langer said. “First time playing with Tiger in the spotlight. It’s not easy. A lot of people are moving. They are really not always interested in what we do. But very proud of him the way he handled himself.”