Carson Daly called the look on his son Jackson’s face “priceless” when he was informed who the two would be playing against at this weekend’s PNC Championship golf tournament in Florida.
“Christmas came early for the Daly family, that’s for sure,” Carson said on Dec. 20 on TODAY.
After all, it’s not every day you get to play a couple rounds with one of the most legendary golfers to ever put on the spikes.
“We’re having dinner and the tournament director, our friend Jon Miller, comes over to us very casually and announces who we’re playing with. And who are we playing with?” Carson asked Jackson on TODAY Friday.
“Mr. Tiger Woods and his son Charlie,” Jackson said, while seeming to still be taking it all in.
Jackson, 15, and Carson, 51, will tee it up at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando for the three-day event in which PGA golfers pair up with loved ones as their playing partners.
“We’re playing with Tiger and Charlie today, guys,” Carson said. “We get to play with the greatest of all time. They’ve been playing this event a bunch of years, and the look on Jackson’s face last night was priceless.”
Tiger, 48, and Charlie Woods, 15, have been playing in the event since Charlie was 12, while Carson and Jackson participated in it last year. Charlie is a sophomore at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, and an up-and-coming star in his own right.
Unlike most amateur golfers, Carson has actually played some rounds of golf with Tiger Woods before. The two grew up in southern California around the same time and occasionally hit the links together.
“You know I grew up playing with Tiger, but that’s what this event’s all about. We’re excited to have some good, quality time together,” Carson said about Jackson. “We’re super psyched.”
Jackson showed off his swing on TODAY while admitting he’s a little rusty.
“It’s winter in New York, so it’s kind of harder to play,” Jackson said.
“That’s going to be a shank in the water, but I’m here,” Carson joked about Jackson’s swing demonstration.
Carson also paid tribute to his stepdad, Richard Caruso, who died in 2017. Carson affectionately referred to Caruso as “Pops,” which was written on a hat he was wearing on TODAY while on the golf course with Jackson.
“I’m wearing a hat in honor of my dad,” Carson said. “My (biological) dad died when I was 5, and the relationship that I forged with my stepdad was all on the golf course.”
Carson is now enjoying that same bonding experience with Jackson.
“At the core of the game of golf for us parents across the country is the time we get to spend with our loved ones, and that really embodies what this event has been doing since ‘95,” he said.
The tournament will be broadcast on the Golf Channel and streamed on Peacock on Dec. 20 and 21, and the final round on Dec. 22 will also be live on NBC and the Golf Channel as well as streaming on Peacock.
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