The nationally televised PNC Father/Son Challenge has been held 20 times to date, and, remarkably, three separate teams with strong Colorado connections have claimed the title in the 36-hole scramble event.
There was Craig and Kevin Stadler in 2002, Hale and Steve Irwin in 2003, and David Duval and stepson Nick Karavites in 2016.
That translates into locals having won the championship 15 percent of the time.
And though the Stadlers and Irwins won’t be in the field for the 21st edtion of the Father/Son — the Irwins competed in the first 19, but were left out last year — and neither will Karavites, Duval and son Brady will tee it up when the 2018 Father/Son is contested Dec. 15-16 in Orlando, Fla. The event is being televised by the Golf Channel and NBC.
No one has played better at the Father/Son over the past two years than did Duval and Karavites. After winning in 2016, they finished second last year, behind only champions Angel Cabrera and son Angel Jr.
To qualify for the Father/Son Challenge, a player must have won either a major championship or The Players Championship in his career. The professional’s partner must not currently hold a PGA Tour card.
David Duval (pictured) was once the top-ranked player in the world and counts the 2001 British Open among 13 PGA Tour events he won — all during his 20s. Duval, now an analyst on the Golf Channel, has lived in Colorado almost continuously since late 2003, with the exception being a brief move he made back to his longtime home state of Florida, before returning to the Centennial State within the last year. Duval’s partner this year, Brady, was born in 2005. He caddied at the Father/Son as part of Team Duval in past years.
The 20-team field for the PNC Father/Son includes 11 World Golf Hall of Famers, including Jack Nicklaus, who will team up with grandson GT Nicklaus, along with Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Vijay Singh.
This year’s purse for the event will be $1.085 million.
