Every December, major winners and their relatives select from the same two shots, walk the same 36 holes, and chase the same trophy — but the rules governing how they play together set this event apart from any other scramble in golf.

The PNC Championship, formerly Father/Son Challenge, is home to some of the most renowned family moments in golf’s history. This includes Charlie Woods’ first hole-in-one, Vijay Singh’s historic sub-60 rounds, John Daly vs. Tiger Woods drama (2021), and more. The elite golfers and their kids will be back at Ritz-Carlton GC, Orlando, Florida, this December.

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Overview of the PNC Championship 2025

The Zurich Classic pairs two professionals in alternate-shot and four-ball formats. Pro-ams mix touring players with amateurs but rarely over competitive rounds. The PNC Championship does something different: it pairs a major champion with a family member who cannot hold active tour status.

The 2025 edition runs December 20-21 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, with a pro-am preceding on December 19. Twenty teams compete across two rounds. Tiger Woods continues recovering from back surgery, meaning Team Woods will sit this one out. The spotlight shifts to John Daly and son John Daly II, whose grip-it-and-rip-it power suits the scramble perfectly. Nelly Korda partners with father Petr, bringing the world’s No. 1 female golfer into a field stacked with major champions. Bernhard Langer and son Jason return as defending champions, chasing a seventh title.

It is not an official PGA Tour tournament, a recent report noted, meaning it does not count toward the FedEx Cup or official money list — though it remains sanctioned by PGA Tour Champions. The total purse stands at $1,085,000, with the winning team claiming $200,000 and the Willie Park Trophy.

The event is open to the public. Fans can visit the course starting at 7:00 AM with play from 8:00 AM on the 1st and 10th tees. Round 1 will begin on Saturday, December 20, at 9:00 AM off the 1st tee. Golf Channel will cover the event from 12:00-1:00 PM ET, Peacock will do it from 1:00-2:30 PM ET, and NBC takes the reins from 2:30 to 6:00 PM ET.

Sunday, December 21, will be the second day and final round of the PNC Championship 2025. The tee time starts at 9:10 AM,  and the same channels will broadcast it, but with different timings. This time, Golf Channel will show it from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET, Peacock will do so from 12:30 to 1:30 PM ET, and fans could watch Nelly Korda, Bernhard Langer, John Daly and others on NBC from 1:30 to 4:30 PM ET. The event ends with a post-round ceremony.

What is the format for the PNC Championship?

The PNC Championship operates on a two-player scramble format. Both team members hit tee shots. They evaluate the results — distance, lie, angle of approach — and select the most advantageous position. Both players then hit their next shots from within one club-length of that spot, no closer to the hole. This recursive process continues until the ball is holed. The team records one score per hole.

The tee system accommodates the skill and age disparities that this creates. Gold tees stretch to 7,106 yards for active PGA Tour professionals under 52 and family members aged 16-53 with collegiate-level games. White tees measure 6,578 yards for professionals 54-63, LPGA players, and family partners 14-15. Red tees at 6,036 yards serve professionals 64-72 and partners 12-13. Blue tees around 5,500 yards allow super-seniors like Lee Trevino, 86, and juniors 11 and under to compete. Tee times start every 13 minutes from the 1st tee, grouped in threesomes.

The format transforms probability. In individual stroke play, a poor approach might cost a golfer a stroke. In a scramble, the odds of both players missing simultaneously drop dramatically. This dynamic creates a strategic split: one player anchors with a safe shot, the other attacks. Winning scores regularly exceed 20-under par. In 2024, the Langers set the benchmark at 28-under.

But format alone doesn’t explain why this event stands apart. The eligibility architecture does.

How are players selected for the PNC Championship?

The professional must have won a major championship or The Players Championship. This can be a championship on the PGA Tour, the LPGA, or the PGA Tour Champions. The partner must be a relative — son, daughter, father, or grandchild. No current touring professionals allowed on the family side. This rule prevents super-teams while preserving the generational dynamic at the event’s core.

The format has remained consistent since the tournament began as the Father/Son Challenge in 1995. Organizers chose the scramble specifically because it allows players of vastly different abilities to contribute meaningfully. A 14-year-old can sink a birdie putt that counts. An 86-year-old can stripe a fairway finder that sets up the approach.

The 2020 rebrand to PNC Championship reflected an expanded definition of family, but the competitive architecture stayed the same. The scramble remains the mechanism that makes a family competition viable at the professional level.