PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP ANNOUNCES ‘PNC CHAMPIONSHIP’ AS NEW TOURNAMENT NAME
September 8, 2020
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, Sept. 9, 2020 – IMG, NBC Sports and PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., announced that the newly re-named PNC Championship, previously known as the PNC Father/Son Challenge, will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes from Dec. 18-20. In addition, PNC announced its multi-year title sponsorship renewal.
News of the tournament’s new name was first shared this morning on The Golf Channel by Rob Reilly, CFO of PNC Bank and reigning Champion, Bernhard Langer. The renaming of the tournament as the PNC Championship is intended to reflect the composition of the field and the ever-growing stature of the event, held under the auspices of the PGA Tour.
“We are delighted to be revealing both our long-term commitment to this highly competitive event as well as our new, more inclusive tournament title,” Reilly said. “Sponsoring this great Championship is the perfect opportunity to showcase the 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 golfing legends.”
A winner of 116 titles worldwide, Langer has played in every tournament since 2002, and has partnered with both his two sons and two daughters over the years, winning twice with Stefan and twice with Jason. He commented: “I was thrilled to share the news of PNC’s continued commitment to this great event along with the name change this morning on The Golf Channel. It’s actually been a very inclusive family event for a long time now, as both of my daughters have enjoyed playing in it. It only makes sense for 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 ten major winners gathered with their sons, the Championship has continued to evolve and develop. It now features 20 major champions and their relatives competing for the total purse of $1,085,000 in a two-day 36-hole scramble for the Willie Park Trophy. The 2019 edition was won by two-time major champion Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason.
For over 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 Sorenstam last year. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has been the title sponsor of the tournament since 2012.
Alastair Johnston, vice chairman of golf, IMG, added: “We started the PNC Father/Son Challenge to showcase the family bond that golf cultivates and to give the icons of our game an opportunity to share their success with the ones they love. 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.”
Jon Miller, president of programming, NBC Sports Group, said: “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, NBC Sports President of Programming. “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.
For more information please visit pncchamionship.com
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Past Champions of the PNC Championship
1995 – Raymond Floyd and Raymond Floyd Jr.
1996 – Raymond Floyd and Raymond Floyd Jr.
1997 – Raymond Floyd and Raymond Floyd Jr.
1998 – Bob Charles and David Charles
1999 – Jack Nicklaus and Gary Nicklaus
2000 – Raymond Floyd and Robert Floyd
2001 – Raymond Floyd and Robert Floyd
2002 – Craig Stadler and Kevin Stadler
2003 – Hale Irwin and Steve Irwin
2004 – Larry Nelson and Drew Nelson
2005 – Bernhard Langer and Stefan Langer
2006 – Bernhard Langer and Stefan Langer
2007 – Larry Nelson and Josh Nelson
2008 – Larry Nelson and Drew Nelson
2012 – Davis Love III and Davis “Dru” Love IV
2013 – Stewart Cink and Connor Cink
2014 – Bernhard Langer and Jason Langer
2015 – Lanny Wadkins and Tucker Wadkins
2016 – David Duval and Nick Karavites
2017 – Angel Cabrera and Angel Cabrera, Jr.
2018 – Davis Love III and Davis “Dru” Love IV
2019 – Bernhard Langer and Jason Langer
The PNC Championship is operated in partnership by IMG and NBC Sports.
About PNC
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
About NBC Sports Group
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, IndyCar and many more.
About Grande Lakes Orlando
The 500-acre Grande Lakes Orlando estate features a 582-room Ritz-Carlton and 1,000-room JW Marriott hotel situated at the headwaters of the Florida Everglades. Guests at both hotels can enjoy all the facilities and services at Grande Lakes Orlando, including an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course and the 40,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa as well as three pools including the winding lazy river at JW Marriott and the new AquaCourse 360 interactive water feature. Experience a wealth of dining options throughout Grande Lakes Orlando, where the cuisine is as diverse as the resort.
Twelve outlets to choose from featuring a brand new steak and seafood restaurant, Knife & Spoon led by award-winning chef John Tesar, southern-inspired cuisine at Highball & Harvest and Mediterranean Italian at PRIMO led by multiple time James Beard award-winning chef Melissa Kelly, a leader in the city’s farm-to-fork movement. The resort sources ingredients from its on-site apiaries and 18,000-square-foot Whisper Creek Farm.
On-property activities include Grande Lakes Sports Experiences offering kayaking, eco-tours on Shingle Creek, falconry, mountain biking and fishing school. Conference and meeting attendees have their pick of a selection of meeting space options located across 150,000 square feet that connects the two properties plus more than 100,000 square feet of outdoor space.
Grande Lakes is located 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport, five minutes from the Orange County Convention Center and minutes from the major theme parks. Follow Grande Lakes Orlando on Twitter at @RC_Orlando and @JW_Orlando, Instagram @ritzcarltonorlando and jwmorlando and Facebook ritzcarltonorlando and jwmarriottorlando. For more information about Grande Lakes Orlando, visit www.grandelakes.com.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports and content company.
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Media Contacts:
Michele Mair, IMG, +44 77990574184