Team Thomas Wins PNC Championship
It was a special Sunday for the Thomas family as Justin and his dad Mike won the PNC Championship in their tournament debut.
A day after playing with Tiger and Charlie Woods, Team Thomas got off to a scorching start with seven straight birdies en route to a final-round 57.
They became the first team to win with the father playing as the partner but Mike, a PGA teaching pro in Kentucky and Justin’s long-time coach, has plenty of game.
It was his final birdie on the 18th that clinched the one-shot victory.
But it always meant more than winning or losing for Justin Thomas.
“A part of you didn’t care who won,” he said. “We were here as father and son to enjoy a special moment.” Joining the father-and-son duo was JT’s mom Jani, who caddied for husband Mike. All of that adding up to a win that the former FedExCup champ ranked as “100 percent the most enjoyable.”
In what was one of the coolest rounds of televised golf all year, Tiger and his 11-year-old son Charlie showed what the game is all about. And it didn’t take long for the fun to ensue.
After hitting a 5-wood most amateurs would be jealous of, Charlie stepped up to sink the eagle on his own ball and sparked a smile from his dad as big as any of those trademark fist pumps.
“I knew he was going to wow a lot of people,” said Justin Thomas, who played alongside Team Woods in the first round with his father Mike, and has served as sort of a big brother to young Charlie.
The apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree on the course, with his Tiger-like mannerisms on full display and some Woods needling mixed in.
After he striped his drive on the par-4 13th, Charlie strolled off the tee making a quick stop at the Justin Thomas’ ball settled in a fairway bunker to leave a little note.
The note reading “draw hole” was left by Mike earlier in the week for Charlie after he found the trees on the same par-4. “Typical Woods fashion,” said JT.
The magic of the day was less about the shots, as it was about the bonding of father and son.
“I’m just making sure that Charlie has the time of his life,” said Tiger Woods reflecting on Saturday’s day in the sun that ended with hugs all around.
