ORLANDO – Peter Kuchar joked that he earned a top-10 finish in his one appearance at the PNC Championship with son Matt, and his grandson is looking to eclipse him in his rookie debut.
Matt Kuchar and son Cameron fired 14-under 58 in the scramble format to build a two-stroke lead over Vijay Singh and son Qass after the first round at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Grande Lakes.
Making his second start in the PNC Championship (T-9 in 2018 with Peter), Kuchar and his 13-year-old son combined for birdies on 10 of their first 11 holes and 14 overall during a bogey-free round: Nos. 1-6, 8-11, 13, 15, 17 and 18.
“As a father you look forward to seeing how your son is going to cope in certain situations and it’s fun to see how they respond,” Kuchar said. “The day could not have gone better. Cameron played some spectacular golf and it was a blast for me to sit back and watch.”
Kuchar, who won the QBE Shootout with Cameron as his caddie last week, qualified for the PNC Championship’s 36-hole exhibition by virtue of his 2012 Players Championship title, one of nine career Tour victories. (A member of each of the 20 teams holds at least one major championship or the Players.)
Last week, Cameron Kuchar was on the bag for dad at the QBE Shootout.
This week, he's walking them in.
Team Kuchar is -10 thru 11 and leads the @PNCchampionship. pic.twitter.com/GimZu5HP85
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 19, 2020
Team Singh, which has finished runner-up twice before, is in position for its first title after opening with 60.
It is a very bunched leaderboard with the trio of Greg Norman and son Greg Jr., Tom and Sean Lehman, David and Brady Duval at 11-under 61 and six teams a shot further back including Tiger and Charlie Woods.
Bernhard Langer, who won the 2019 event with son, Jason, opened with 9-under 63 with daughter, Jackie.
PNC Championship: The field, tee times, TV times, format
Tee times were moved up to 8 a.m. due to potential inclement weather. It’s setting up to be another Sunday shootout.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, it’s an amazing experience,” Matt Kuchar said. “What a cool thing to be able to share with people you care about.”
