The family friendly PNC Championship is one of golf’s most loved events with its 20 teams battling it out in a feel-good 36-hole scramble.
The field is always stacked with modern greats and past legends, but how do they qualify?
It’s actually very simple, with the PNC Championship only open to 20 professionals who have either won Majors or The Players Championship, which is the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament.
The tournament is organized by the PGA Tour Champions, which is the over-50s circuit run by the PGA Tour – hence why Players Championship winners are allowed in the PNC Championship field. It’s why Matt Kuchar is able to play each year with his sons Carson and Cameron, with the American winning at TPC Sawgrass in 2012.
And the term ‘Major’ championship also applies to senior Majors, which is how Steve Stricker is in the field. The American never won a regular Major or the Players Championship but was able to make his debut in 2023 thanks to his many senior Major victories.
The 2021 US Ryder Cup captain has seven senior Major wins.
Major and Players Championship winners must not be LIV Golfers, though, due to golf’s ongoing civil war that sees players in the 54-hole tour suspended by the PGA Tour. 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson played in the PNC Championship with his son Karl in 2021 but is no longer eligible after joining the rival circuit.
Henrik Stenson is no longer eligible after he joined the rival LIV Golf tour
(Image credit: Getty Images)
And when it comes to deciding the amateur partners at the PNC Championship, they must be a family member and cannot hold any playing status on a professional tour. This meant that Stricker’s daughter Bobbi was unable to play in 2023 due to her Epson Tour status, so luckily for younger daughter Izzi, she got the call to play.
This rule could force a number of amateur partners out in the coming years, with the likes of John Daly II, Izzi Stricker, Brady Duval, Jacob Immelman, Sean Lehman and Luke Leonard all currently playing college golf.
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly…