PNC Championship 2021 R2
December 18-19
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Florida
Round 1

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

John Daly and John Daly II won the PNC Championship by two shots on Sunday.

Winning on their 6th appearance in the Championship, they also shot a course record for the two days finishing at 27 under par 117. Team Daly had finished in the top ten of all their PNC Championship experiences (2016/T8, 2017/T9, 2018/T2, 2019/5, 2020/8).

PNC Championship 2021 R2

“Holidays everything and, just playing golf with my son every day when I can is just awesome. To watch him grow up to do the things he could do with a golf ball and a swing that's so perfect, but saving my you know what from putting yesterday, and he played phenomenal and I helped him with a few shots here and there. But it was just an awesome weekend, and PNC and Teo (Sodeman) and Alastair (Johnston) and all the volunteers and this whole community, it's just a blast coming here every year.”

On what this win means to him in the context of his Major wins: “It's up there. You can't beat it. For fathers, as we’re on the Senior Tour, we're not playing the British Opens and majors competitive like I used to. I can still play the British Open and the PGA but nothing comes close. I've always told the media for years, the greatest days of my life were seeing my kids born. You can't top that. To be here and win a big tournament like this with my son, nothing can beat it.”

PNC Championship 2021 R2

“Every year we always try and win but this was the year just enjoyed it and being here playing with him in the holidays," said John Daly II. "I guess that's what happens, when you win, I don't know, it's awesome. All the volunteers are great like he said, the PNC, all the military guys and everyone. Wouldn't be possible without them, so I just want to thank them.”

PNC Championship 2021 R2

A run of 11 consecutive birdies(Nos. 7-17), by Team Woods before a par at the 18th saw them narrowly miss out on a play-off finishing at 25-under 117.

“We had a little run there," said Woods. "It was nice. It was fun. When we played the turn, I told Charlie, I said we're going to have to at least birdie out to at least make eight out of the nine on the back nine to have a chance. There were just too many groups that were either tied with us or ahead of us. And we got on a nice heater, and as you said, we made 11 in a row, and on the last hole, we probably -- we knew on the tee box that we needed three to probably get into a playoff or at least make it interesting for the Dalys back there. Unfortunately, we didn't chip-in and we didn't make the putts, either. But it was fun. The goals this week, two things: One, to have fun; and two, no bogeys, and we accomplished both.”

PNC Championship 2021 R2

On if his performance exceeded expectations: “I wouldn't say "better." I think I had a better sense of my feel of what I could do, the shots I could hit. If you noticed out there, I didn't really play a whole lot of draws. If I did, they were all short irons. Most of them were just hot cuts or slappy cuts up there, you know, something out there. The hardest part for me was that -- what I saw distance-wise and what I felt on my last look -- I always play by my hands and my last look, it didn't match up a lot of times. I was short. And then a few times, I actually hit it solid and I smoked it over a couple greens. You know, I've got some work ahead of me.”

On feeling competitive after the car crash 10 months ago that damaged his right leg so badly that amputation was a possibility: “The competitive juices, they are never going to go away. This is my environment. This is what I've done my entire life. I'm just so thankful to be able to have this opportunity to do it again. Earlier this year was not a very good start to the year and it didn't look very good. But the last few weeks, to push as hard as we have the last seven months with taking no days off and just working our butts off each and every day, and to have this opportunity to be able to play with my son and to have these memories, for us, for both of us, our lifetime, it's worth all the pain.”

PNC Championship 2021 R2