Tiger Woods celebrates 30th year of foundation and gets $20M grant from Arthur Blank

[AP Photo]

Tiger Woods celebrated the 30th year of his TGR Foundation by saying it raised $50 million last year toward its education initiatives. The party ended with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank pledging a $20 million grant for a new learning lab in Atlanta.

The 30th anniversary bash yesterday [Macau time] at The Breakers came two weeks after Woods turned 50, and the intimate gathering of A-listers included a performance by Jon Bon Jovi. The night even had a title — “RED: Celebrating Legacy” — and a presenting sponsor in Ernst & Young, which now goes by “EY”

Sun Day Red is the apparel company Woods launched two years ago. His late mother, Kultida, told him red was his power color and Woods wore a red shirt on Sunday in winning 82 times on the PGA Tour, including 15 majors.

But the surprise was the $20 million grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, for a TGR Learning Lab in Atlanta.

Blank is on the PGA Tour board and owns the Atlanta Drive team that is part of the high-tech indoor league TGL that Woods helped launch.

“I have immense respect and admiration for Tiger, not only for his legendary career, but for the way he continues to lead with purpose off the course,” Blank said in a statement. “It’s truly an honor to partner with someone who believes so deeply in the power of education and community.

“Seeing the impact of TGR Foundation, from the Learning Labs to the hundreds of thousands of students empowered through its programs, is incredibly inspiring and I look forward to seeing the impact the TGR Learning Lab Atlanta makes on our community.”

Woods started the Tiger Woods Foundation when he turned pro in 1996 (it became the TGR Foundation a decade ago when he rebranded his work off the golf course). He began by doing clinics around the country and five years later came up with the idea of a learning center.

The first one was in Anaheim, California, near his hometown. Atlanta would be the fifth learning lab, the others opened or planned in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Augusta, Georgia, which is part of Augusta National’s make over of the municipal course known as “The Patch.”

The foundation’s mission is to support students from underserved communities to pursue their goals through education. The TGR Foundation says it has reached more than 3 million kids and served over 217,000 students since 2006.

“Tonight was a reminder that the legacy I’m most proud of isn’t on the golf course; it’s the work we’ve done to positively impact the lives of students through TGR Foundation,” Woods said in a release announcing the donations. “I am excited for what’s next as we expand alongside our great supporters to reach more young people from communities in need.”

On the golf course, Woods attended the TGL match of his Jupiter Links team on Tuesday night. He did not indicate when or where he would be able to return to competition. He last played 36-hole PNC Championship with son Charlie in December 2024. MDT/AP