While the sporting world remembers the legacy of Tiger Woods through his feats in the sport, many also look up to the Hall of Famer for his immense philanthropic work. Woods has gained a reputation around the sport for always providing a helping hand to the needy. With more than a billion dollars in his bank account, here are the best philanthropic deeds earned by the 15-time Major winner.
In 1996, while he earned his PGA Tour card, Woods also decided to start the ‘TGR Foundation’ along with his father, Earl Woods, focusing on empowering young students. In more than two decades, the foundation grew bigger and bigger similar to Tiger’s trophy cabinet.
Many needy people have benefited from the assistance of Woods’ charity. As the TGR Foundation has been in existence for the past 25 years, let’s take a look at the ten most philanthropical deeds done by Tiger.
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1. A dream of giving young golfers a chance to shine
Golf clinics are quite common across the United States, but not every kid in the clinic gets the opportunity to play with a Hall of Famer. Woods, through his foundation, has been conducting Junior golf clinics since 1997. While most golf clinics revolve around swinging and putting, the Tiger Woods Foundation clinics are unique.
Apart from the golf instructions, it also offers the children guidance on how to sit for job interviews, exploring employment opportunities in golf, the sport rules, and etiquette of the game, parental guidelines for competitive junior golf, and much more. The golfer always made sure to make his presence known at the golf clinics, and share his teachings from his 27-year-long experience in the sport.
2. Donating to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America
The TGR Foundation’s main objective has always been to help underprivileged kids. Similar to Woods’ charitable purpose, another NGO named Boys and Girls Clubs of America also provides help in enabling young people to reach their full potential in their desired domain.
The 47-year-old golfer has donated many dollars over the years to the cause of the foundation alongside many notable personalities such as Bill Clinton, Celine Dion, and Justin Beiber to name a few. Many charity proceeds from golf events conducted by the Boys and Girls Golf Club of America over the years have been split between them and the TGR Foundation.
3. Tiger Woods gives money to a charity for caddies
Since most golfers tend to spend more time with their caddies than with their families, a special bond is developed between the golfer and his caddie. Though Tiger has always been the most prominent golfer, in recent times, the 15-time Major winner was seen caddying for his 14-year-old son, Charlie, in amateur golf events.
While it may be temporary, Woods’ admiration for caddies has always been in existence through his charitable work for them. Caddy for Cure is a non-profit organization that helps and provides benefitting programs for the caddies, through monetary terms or non-monetary ways.
The charity has reached out to many other NGOs including the Tiger Woods Foundation, who didn’t shy away from sharing the Tiger funds. Perhaps, it’s hard to find a person in the sport who the golfer hasn’t helped.
4. Preserving the Rainforest Woods style
Golf courses across the United States have a mixture of nature embedded in them. The beauty of courses only ignites with the beautiful scenic view and well-maintained greenery. Since most courses have already witnessed Woods strike the winning putt in them, the golfer has also taken measures for the welfare of nature.
Rainforest Foundation Fund aims to fight against developmental programs which may lead to the loss of biodiversity. It has carried out several programs in seeking attention to the welfare of nature. The Rainforest Foundation Fund also had the approval of the TGR Foundation, as it helps in allocating loads of funds for the charitable cause.
5. Tiger Woods raises $2.9 million for the education of children
Since its initiation, the top priority of the Tiger Woods Foundation has been to help talented children, who didn’t have many opportunities at their behest. In 2010, it was reported that Woods along with his Foundation was offering students $2.9 million worth of education grants. Moreover, it also provided talented students with College Scholarships.
6. Tiger Woods donates back to his roots
Being the son of a US Army veteran, it is quite apparent that Tiger is an American through and through. However, his mother Kultida Woods is originally from Thailand. While he may represent the American badge during the Presidents Cup, Tiger does have a special place for Thailand in his heart.
In 2010, Woods decided to compete in the One Day Skins tournament in Thailand for the first time in nearly a decade. Though traveling thousands of miles may urge many to win the $300,000 prize money, Tiger along with other golfers decided to donate their winnings to charities overseen by the then King Bhumibol of Thailand.
7. Tiger Woods being the messiah of school donations
In his nearly 27 years long career, Tiger has earned the reputation of one of the greatest golfers of all time. However, along with his journey to the pinnacle of the sport, the golfer’s contribution to society has helped many kids complete their education. Three years ago, it was reported that the Tiger Woods Foundation has helped nearly 2 million students.
The goal of the foundation has always been to help aspiring students with a better platform. The ideology was implemented by the golfer’s father, Earl Woods. Though his old man may not be around anymore, Tiger has maintained his father’s spirit in the foundation. During the process of the charitable cause for the children, the TGR Foundation has raised $150 million in funds, most of which was donated by thebillionaire, Tiger Woods.
8. Woods’ donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children
Apart from his emphasis on children’s education, Woods also takes into account their medical care and expenses resulting from it. Shriners Hospitals for Children was founded back in 1922, and aims to provide health facilities to all kids under the age of 18 for free.
Many of the Tiger funds have also been deposited into the charitable cause, only making the 15-time Major winner’s bag of good deeds even heavier. Moreover, during his prime days, Woods was a regular participant in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open – an event at which he won his maiden PGA Tour win of the current 82 pro victories. However, the name of the tournament during his win in 1996 was Las Vegas Invitational.
9. Tiger Woods Foundation teaching children everything at the Learning Center, even making video games
Since 2006, the TGR Foundation has been providing its students with a unique style of learning experience in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Set in Anaheim, California, the 35,000-square-foot TGR Learning Centre offers real-world techniques to teach its students.
The teachers in the lab don’t use any textbooks and encourage students to learn through interaction and engagement. TGR Learning Lab provides a wide range of courses which also include Video Game Design, teaching the children the initial steps of coding.
Along with the students, the teachers also benefit from the STEM program. Deeming the immaculate facilities available in the Southern California learning lab, Tiger Woods spent an enormous $25 million to further improve the infrastructure in recent years.
10. Tiger Woods donates to help fellow golfer Jarrod Lyle with cancer
In 2018, the world of golf came together to support their fellow pro golfer, Jarrod Lyle, who decided to end his treatment for Cancer to spend his final few weeks with his wife and their two daughters. Lyle had overcome Leukemia twice, but on the 8th of August, 2018, the PGA Tour pro passed away while being surrounded by loved ones.
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Tiger Woods along with other golfers and caddies paid tribute to the late golfer by sporting a duck on his cap at that year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Moreover, a GoFundMe page was created to help Lyle’s family to meet their expenses. The TGR Foundation announced a donation of $10,000 for the cause.
As Tiger Woods looks upon the final phase of his illustrious career, he has shifted his focus more towards a charitable cause than his professional career. With millions being donated by the billionaire each year, it will be hard to measure how much the 15-time Major winner has spent towards human welfare.
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Which among Woods’ philanthropic deeds do you consider the best? Let us know in the comments section below.
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