ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods never smiled so much in defeat. That’s because the final result Sunday didn’t really matter, even if the competition was spirited and some of the old Woods-like traits emerged.

But there was certainly no shame in Woods and his son, Charlie, losing in a sudden-death playoff to the seemingly ageless Bernhard Langer, who along with his son, Jason, eagled the par-5 18th hole to win the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlson Resort.

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For Woods, the season-ending 36-hole exhibition was the highlight to an otherwise frustrating golf year. And the annual event he played with Charlie for the fifth time might have been the highlight, regardless. As an added bonus, Charlie, 15, made his first-ever hole-in-one.

“That was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to have that moment with Charlie, make his first hole-in-one, Sam (his daughter) on the bag, just our family and friends,” Woods said. “That’s what this event is about. It’s about bonding and family.

“For us to have that experience together, I know we didn’t win, but it was the fact that we competed. No one really made a mistake out there. We had to earn it, and that’s what you want to have. Hats off to Langers. They played amazing.”

Langer, who is 67 and holds the record for PGA Tour Champions victories with 47, has now won this event four times with his son, Jason, 24, who played college golf at Penn.

They shot a final-round score of 57 in the scramble format, 15 under par including a back-nine 28.

“Both of them, truly very gentlemen-like,” said Bernhard Langer, who turned pro in 1972 and went on to win the Masters in 1985 and 1993. His 42 European Tour victories rank second all-time to Seve Ballasteros. “Fun to be with. Competitive. You could see they wanted to win this, and they played awesome.

“I mean, 15 under, that’s hard to do in windy conditions. They played really great. I’m just so proud of (Jason). First time playing with Tiger on the spotlight. It’s not easy. A lot of people are moving. They are really not always interested in what we do, and sometimes we hit good shots, and we never really knew whether we’re close or not at times.

“But very proud of him the way he handled himself. He hit a couple of fantastic iron shots into 18 to give us the opportunity to make birdie and then eagle.”

The Woods team also shot 58, including the ace by Charlie at the par-4 4th hole, a 7-iron from 176 yards that he described as a “perfect 7-iron, a little cut in there. Of course, never got to see it go in. So that sucks.

“It awesome having dad there. That was so much fun.”

“We were totally unsure until the TV confirmed it,” Tiger Woods said. “And we went nuts. I don’t know what we did but we enjoyed it. It was unbelievable moment.”

Woods has three aces in his PGA Tour career, his last coming in 1998 at the International tournament at Castle Pines, a moment, amazingly, not caught on video. Woods also had a hole-in-one in his first event as a pro in 1996 at the Greater Milwaukee Open and in 1997 on the famous par-3 16th at what is now called the WM Phoenix Open.

Although Woods had numerous holes-in-one as a kid—he believes the total number is 20—his only one since 1998 came during a Thanksgiving break outing with Fred Couples and Charlie in 2018.

For the 15-time major champion, there was plenty to be encouraged about after another back surgery in September that followed just five official tournaments and only 11 rounds of golf. Woods last played at the British Open, where he missed the cut for a third straight major championship.

The February 2021 car crash that led to significant injuries to his lower right leg has meant a very limited schedule in recent years. But the back problems that have plagued him for the better part of 10 years were a significant issue this year.

Woods acknowledged Friday that it was an issue throughout the year and led to the microdecompression surgery that he had on Sept. 13. Woods did not compete in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas two weeks ago.

Despite several impressive signs including not using a golf cart for three days—when it was allowed under tournament rules—Woods would not make any pronouncements. He said he was “nowhere near” competitive shape and mostly downplayed any success.

“I did a few things here and there,” Woods said. “I’m a great scramble partner. I can hit a few shots here and there.

“This is all about family. This is about bonding and it’s about having a great time and we did that. This is a thrill of a lifetime for us to be able to experience this all together.”

Playing in the last group, the two teams seemed to match each other shot-for-shot over the closing nine holes and were tied teeing off at the 18th.

Because of the format, the older Langer had an 80-yard advantage off the tee over the older Woods, who played from the championship tee markers. Charlie Woods and Jason Langer played the second set of tees, which were about 50 yards ahead.

The Langers had eagle putts on the 18th in both regulation and the playoff, with the older Langer making it from 18 feet to win.

It was the first time Tiger Woods had been involved in a playoff since he lost to Zach Johnson at the Hero World Challenge. He lost to Graeme McDowell in the same event in a playoff in 2010. His last playoff win? The 2008 U.S. Open over Rocco Mediate.