Why the PNC Championship is a one-of-a-kind NIL showcase

by Golf NIL Staff

December 16, 2025

Major champions. Next‑generation talent. A rare, made‑for‑TV NIL stage.

For a select lineup of high school and college golfers, the PNC Championship delivers high-level competition on a national broadcast with brand‑ready storytelling unlike anything else in amateur sports.

The tournament is set for December 20‑21 at the Ritz‑Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, following pro‑am rounds December 18‑19. NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock split the broadcast coverage Friday through Sunday.

The format teams major and Players Championship winners with family members in a 40-player, 36‑hole scramble, with this year's field including the usual mix of high school and college golfers.

For the student-athletes, it's a televised, spotlight event that lives outside their normal junior and collegiate schedules. They aren’t playing for prize money, but they can wear their own labels, test their skills against legends, and build their personal brands on a platform that drew nearly 2.9 million viewers for last year's opening round.

In addition to coverage from sports and golf media outlets, they'll also gain extra visibility as the PNC, PGA Tour, and PGA Tour Champions promote the event to their nearly 19 million combined social followers across Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, and X.

Bernhard and Jason Langer are the two‑time defending champions, having won in 2023 and 2024 after defeating Tiger and Benjamin junior Charlie Woods in a playoff last year. That Woods appearance helped drive record viewership—a 147% jump that made it the highest‑rated PNC Championship on record.

This year, Tiger and Charlie are out as Tiger recovers from back surgery, snapping a five‑year run.

John Daly and John Daly II at the 2024 PNC Championship | Debby Wong/ZUMA Press Wire

For the college and junior NIL contingent, the 2025 headliners include:

• John Daly II (Arkansas senior) is back alongside his father, two‑time major champion John Daly. The pair won the 2021 PNC Championship.

  The younger Daly enters this week as the No. 2 player in the Golf NIL College Men’s Rankings, backed by an $850,000 valuation and one of the biggest social followings in college golf. His 2025 features wins at the Southern Amateur and Blessings Collegiate, a U.S. Amateur quarterfinal run, and millions of views across YouTube creator‑driven golf content. TaylorMade, Ridge, Cobalt Golf, and JLab are among Daly's long list of NIL partners.

• Brady Duval (Lander University sophomore) makes his sixth straight PNC appearance with 2001 Open Champion David Duval, following their 2023 runner-up and 2024 third-place finishes. Both partner with Callaway.

• Sean Lehman (Cal Poly senior) makes his sixth straight appearance with 1996 Open Champion Tom Lehman, building on multiple top-five finishes. Both have represented Tommy Bahama in the tournament.

• Luke Leonard (Villanova freshman) returns with 1997 Open Champion Justin Leonard. The Johnnie-O and Callaway duo have been competing together since 2022.

• Izzi Stricker (Wisconsin sophomore), No. 30 in the Golf NIL College Women’s Rankings, joins seven‑time PGA Tour Champions major winner Steve Stricker.​  

  With one of the stronger resumes in this field, she’s stacked 2025 with wins at the Wisconsin Women’s Amateur and Wisconsin Women’s Match Play, building on a high school career that included two WIAA Division I individual state titles. Last month, Stricker added Good Lion Golf to her sponsor list, becoming the brand’s first NIL athlete.

• Hunter Hannemann (Corona del Mar High School senior), who plays Sea Kings varsity volleyball, returns with 1992 Masters champion and World Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples after making their PNC Championship debut together in 2024.

• Cameron Kuchar (Jupiter High School senior), ranked No. 13 in the Golf NIL High School Boys Rankings, gets the family nod with 2012 Players Champion Matt Kuchar after trading the spot with younger brother Carson. Cameron has worn a Bettinardi hat, matching his father's longtime connection to the putter brand. Two years ago, the Texas Christian University commit and 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur player teamed with his dad to post one of the best rounds in PNC history, opening with a 15‑under 57.

• Will McGee (Lake Highland Prep freshman) returns with his mom, 10‑time major champion and LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, a longtime fan favorite in this event. Both represent Team Callaway.

Coverage starts Friday at noon EST on Golf Channel and continues across Peacock and NBC through the weekend.