Sport
Tiger Woods has a personal stake in his holiday event
Tiger Woods tees off on the second hole during the first round of the World Challenge golf tournament at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. PHOTO/Bret Hartman/AP
Tiger Woods started his World Challenge in 1999, a chance to bring together top players from around the world for a tournament that amounted to a holiday exhibition to raise money for his foundation.
It offered big money, even for the guy who finished last. And though it now awards world ranking points, it does not count as an official win on any tour.
But it’s serious business to Woods.
When the tournament lost its title sponsor last year, and a deal with a major company unexpectedly fell through at the last minute in early September, Woods spent what is believed to be about US$4 million of his own money to join presenting sponsor Northwestern Mutual in covering the operating costs.
“We’re going to be doing everything we can to keep the tournament going and keep all our programs going,” Woods said.
He described the World Challenge earlier in the week as his “showcase event” that he created with his late father, Earl Woods. And while the trophy and a US$1 million check will be presented Sunday at Sherwood Country Club, one of the more compelling moments came before the tournament even started.
Standing at a podium Wednesday night at a private pro-am dinner was Edgar Perez, a senior at Savanna High School, located in the same impoverished Orange County neighborhood where the 14-time major champion built his first Tiger Woods Learning Center.
