ATLANTA,GA- Canton residents Michael and John Blanton played a memorable round of golf among the game’s most famous names at the recent PNC Father/Son Challenge, the unique, family-oriented tournament held in Orlando. The championship event was played Dec. 11-14, 20014 at The Ritz Carlton Golf Club at Grand Lakes Resort and won by Bernhard Langer and his son Jason.
In keeping with the family spirit of the PNC Father/Son Challenge, PNC hosted five qualifier tournaments this summer for parent/child teams to win spots in the official pro-am and play alongside golf legends in Orlando. Parents were required to have a handicap of 24 or better while children had to be at least 15 with a handicap of 30 or better.
Michael Blanton, 60 and John Blanton, 27, won the qualifier played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. In Orlando, they played with Stewart Cink and his son Connor on the first day then Raymond Floyd and his son Robert on the second day. They shot 10-under the first day and 13-under the second day, making it 23-under par total.
“One of my favorite parts was meeting Jack Nicklaus, but nothing beats being with my son,” Michael said. “Everyone at PNC made two people’s dreams come true. No matter what the scoreboard says, we won.” John added: “Being with my dad is a memory that we’ll always have, on the course and walking past the stands. The whole thing was really neat.”
The other four 2014 PNC Father/Son Challenge pro-am qualifier winners were: Michael and Kirk Farmer of St. Louis, Mo.; Mark and Tom Hammerton of Peoria, Ill.; Peter and Kolbe Greer of Gaithersburg, Md.; and J.R. and Colin List of Boynton Beach, Fla.
“PNC’s sponsorship of the Father/Son Challenge supports the game of golf for families like the Blantons and reflects our focus on values and relationships,” said Eddie Meyers, regional president of PNC Bank, Atlanta.