The PNC Championship: A Fitting Way to Close Out A Wild 2022 in Golf

With 2022 being the wild year it has been in golf, The PNC Championship seems like a very fitting way to wrap up the year.

As LIV Golf made its debut earlier this year, and subsequently brought some of the PGA Tours’ most recognized names to its breakaway tournament series, a great deal of division resulted within the game.

It has been hard for me, as someone that has spent nearly three decades working in golf, and trying to grow the game’s footprint, to see such division and negativity over the past year.

I started playing the game when I was very young. I was introduced to it by my father and grandfather. Because of this, golf has always been something that has made me think of family. Early in my life, the game was something that I shared with not only my dad and grandpa; but also with countless other relatives.

The game has also been something that reminds me of friends, both old and new. Comradery is a great word that sums up what the game means to me.

As a PGA Professional and Coach, that idea and feeling of comradery is a major pillar in what I try to bring to those that have played the game for years, as well as those that are just getting their feet wet with it.

Golf connects people. Golf is a center point for charitable initiatives. The game has always been something that I’ve felt represents all that is good, or potentially good in people. This is why the divide we have seen over the past year in the game has been so difficult for me to watch.

With that all being said, thank god for the PNC Championship.

Maybe it’s just me, but beyond the Majors, the bigger Invitational events on Tour, and the FedEx Cup, the PNC Championship is an event that gets me excited about the game.

The PNC Championship represents all the things I mentioned above, that makes golf special to me…and I suspect, other fans of the game feel the same way too.

Seeing some of the greats from years past, like Lee Trevino, or Gary Player, or Jack Nicklaus (when he played), is always special. Seeing them do so with family is even more so. And how exciting is it to see the modern greats tee it up with their kids? Tiger Woods and his son Charlie…come on, I mean how cool is that?

I am a big Annika fan, and have actually had the privilege to work on some projects with her and her husband through my youth golf nonprofit, so seeing her tee it up with her son Will, will be a treat this week.

In a year that has seen many clouds hanging over the game, thank god for The PNC Championship. Hopefully, it will bring a little sunshine to golf as we wrap up the year.