ORLANDO, Fla. – Golf came into the Kuchar family in a serious way when Meg decided one Christmas to upgrade their membership at Sweetwater Golf and Country Club near Orlando. Husband Peter, an accomplished tennis player, was a little taken aback, wondering what this gift was going to cost him.

 What followed, of course, was a gift that has carried on for decades, as son Matt followed him out to the golf course and the pair’s already close relationship took on a whole new dimension.

As Matt, 47, stood on the podium with his own son Cameron, 18, at the PNC Championship on Sunday, their champion belts flung over their shoulders, Peter was the one who was top of mind. Peter died suddenly in February while vacationing with his wife of 50 years off the coast of St. Barths.

This marked Matt’s first PNC without his father, who was both a partner and caddie in the family-focused event. Cameron, 18, and his dad have gotten off to hot starts before at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club but couldn’t find a way to finish.

That ended on Sunday, when the pair blistered the field with a final-round 54, setting a new final-round scoring record of 33 under, five shots better than the mark set by 2025 champions Berhard Langer and his son Jason last year as well as Tiger and Charlie Woods.

What would his father have said?

"I think people have told me that as time goes on, you stop thinking of things you miss and start thinking about things you're grateful for and the good times you had," said Kuchar, adding, "There would have been certainly some big fist pumps and certainly a lot of pride."

The Kuchars set the new standard for 18-hole, 36-hole and margin of victory at this event, finishing seven shots ahead of Davis Love III and his son Dru as well as John Daly and Little John.

“It's supposed to come out and be a fun family event,” said Love, “but you'd better birdie every hole or you're going to lose.”

The Kuchars made two eagles and 14 birdies on the day and only five pars for the whole tournament.

“I think I only putted about three times,” said Matt of a round that was dominated by a son who has grown up at this event.

“I wasn't keeping as much track today as I was yesterday, but I probably made five or six solo birdies,” said Cameron. “Every now and then, I would let him know, all right, I made that one myself. But he also made a few solos, and he'd come right back and he'd go, ‘That was all me right there.’ ”

Matt said that Cameron, who will be a freshman at TCU in the fall, played some of the best golf he’s ever seen him play over the weekend, heady stuff with network TV cameras rolling.

In 2025, the high school senior has posted five top-20 AJGA finishes and was runner-up at the Western Junior over the summer. This marked Cameron’s fourth time playing with dad in the event. Younger brother Carson, a tennis player, has also competed but caddied this time.

As for the long-awaited victory belt, Kuchar said he has the perfect “terrible” coat from the Hilton Head Tour stop that he pulls out every Christmas.

The coat will pair nicely with the red belt.

“I don't know if you believe in karma, if you believe in fate, whatever you believe in, there's something magical that does exist. I'm a believer in God, that Dad is up above looking down, and that – what happened on 18, I could hardly stand up and hit a shot. For me to hit it to a foot, makes me think there's something more out there," said Kuchar before tearing up.

"Just miss … miss Pops."

Most of his trophies, he said, have family photos beside them, and it’s fun to look back on how his kids have grown over the course of his career. He fought back tears again as he thought about how the family photo from this week will be missing one special face.

When asked what's important from his father to pass down to his own boys, Matt said the value of hard work. His father’s parents, he noted, were window washers who immigrated from Ukraine during the Bolshevik Revolution.

They could never understand why he took a week off from the Tour, he said smiling, as it left them with nothing to watch.

This week at the PNC, for generations of Kuchars, was a feast for the heavenlies.

“It was surreal and magical, and I just knew that my husband was with them every step of the way,” said a teary Meg from behind the 18^th green.

“I think it was destined.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PNC Championship Matt Kuchar, son Cameron win 2025 title