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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Jonny Leighfield

Who Has Won The Most PNC Championships?

Jason Langer and father, Bernhard (left) plus Robert and Raymond Floyd (right).

Fast becoming one of the great traditions in professional golf, the PNC Championship began in 1995 as the Father-Son Challenge for Major winners or champions of the PGA Tour's Players Championship.

A field of 20 teams - which now consists of female Major winners, too - compete in a scramble format over 36 holes across two days for the Willie Park Trophy in memory of the first father and son duo to both win The Open.

While the event began in Vero Beach, Florida with simply father-and-son teams, many entrants have played alongside other family members in the years since. Fuzzy Zoeller was the first to break with tradition in 2005 when he teamed up with his daughter Gretchen.

Bernhard Langer has twice played with his daughter, Christina (2013, 2016) while Arnold Palmer teamed up with his grandson Sam Saunders in 2013, well before the latter turned pro. Annika Sorenstam finished T11th alongside her 12-year-old son, Will McGee in 2023.

As far as who the most successful winning team is, though, the answer isn't quite as straightforward as hoped.

Will McGee and Annika Sorenstam at the 2023 PNC Championship (Image credit: Getty Images)

Raymond and Robert Floyd were crowned victorious five times between 1995 and 2001, picking up the trophy in each of the first three years before going back-to-back at the turn of a new century.

The American family - led by four-time Major winner, Raymond - were stalwarts of the early runnings but were later matched in their overall tally by Bernhard Langer.

The 1985 and 1993 Masters champion continued his outstanding track record on the European Tour by enjoying further success with both of his sons at the PNC Championship.

In 2005 and 2006, Bernhard and his eldest son, Stefan won their two titles at Champions Gate Golf Resort in Orlando. At the 2005 event, it was almost a ceremonial passing of the torch, as the Langers beat the Floyds by a single stroke.

After a three-year break in the event between 2009-11, the German legend subsequently returned with either his daughter or other son, Jason. Starting in 2014, Jason and Bernhard Langer have won three times in total, scooping their first prize when the former was just 14 years old. The pair shot a 13-under 59 in the scramble format to win by two strokes from Davis Love III and his son, Dru.

After a dramatic second victory in 2019 via a playoff against the Goosen and Lehman families, respectively, the Langers triumphed again most recently in 2023, besting David and Brady Duval by two strokes.

Jason and Bernhard Langer hold the PNC Championship belts above their head (Image credit: Getty Images)

It is a similar story for Larry Nelson, who has won twice with son Drew and once with other son, Josh. Davis Love III and son Dru are the only other team to have won multiple PNC Championships.

Ahead of 2024, Tiger Woods and his son Charlie are yet to secure the title, coming closest in 2021 when losing out by two strokes to John Daly and his son, John Daly II.

MOST PNC CHAMPIONSHIP WINS

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