Together they shared the news that the tournament founders IMG and NBC Sports, along with title sponsor PNC, are renaming the tournament as the PNC Championship, to reflect the composition of the field and the ever-growing stature of the event on the PGA TOUR Champions schedule.
“We are delighted to be revealing both our long-term commitment to this unique and fiercely competitive event as well as our new more inclusive tournament title,” said Reilly. “We are very proud to partner with this great Championship that showcases a special family bond that sharing a love of golf creates, as well as being a wonderful way for us to celebrate and enjoy so many golf legends.”
A winner of 116 titles worldwide, Langer has played in every edition of the tournament since 2002, having partnered with his two sons and two daughters over the years, winning twice with Stefan and twice with Jason.
“I was delighted to share the news of PNC’s continued commitment to this great event along with the name change this morning on GOLF Channel,” said Langer. “It’s actually been a very inclusive family event for a long time now with both of my daughters having enjoyed playing in it, so it’s right to tweak the name to better reflect this. This tournament is one of my favorite stops of the year, as it is with so many of my fellow pros, and we all really appreciate PNC’s long-term commitment to this very exceptional family event.”
Since the inaugural tournament in 1995 when 10 major winners gathered with their sons, the Championship has continued to evolve and develop, now featuring 20 major champions and their relatives competing for a total purse of $1,085,000 in a two-day, 36-hole scramble for the Willie Park Trophy. Langer won the 2019 edition alongside his son, Jason.
For more than 20 years, the tournament has featured a multitude of family combinations including Father/Son, Father/Daughter, Father/Grandson, Son/Father and more recently, Daughter/Father, when Annika Sorenstam paired with her father Tom last year.
“We started the PNC Father Son Challenge to showcase the family bond that golf cultivates and also to give the icons of our game an opportunity to share their success with the ones they love,” said Alastair Johnston, vice chairman of golf, IMG. “More than two decades later, the tournament has created so many wonderful memories and we are incredibly grateful for PNC’s long-term support of this unique event. As the PNC Championship, we feel the name reflects the field composition and the event’s stature as we look forward to welcoming familiar faces, new talent and different family partnerships to this unique event, while also celebrating the tournament’s history.”
“The PNC Championship is one of golf’s most celebrated events in that it closes out the calendar year with a focus on family,” said Jon Miller, president of programming, NBC Sports Group. “NBC Sports is proud of our heritage as a co-founder of this great championship, and we look forward to our continued relationship with PNC in elevating this event for years to come.”
To qualify for the PNC Championship, players must have won a major championship or THE PLAYERS Championship. Their partner must not hold a PGA TOUR card.
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has been the title sponsor of the tournament since 2012. The PNC Championship is operated in partnership by IMG and NBC Sports. For more information, visit pncchampionship.com.
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