Tiger Woods in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida last week. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) The Tiger Woods comeback tour came to Georgetown Monday, where the 36-year-old golf legend stopped for some do-gooding before heading to Congressional to promote his tournament next month.
Despite his personal scandal and lousy playing recently, Woods is still the biggest draw in the game: $58 million a year from endorsements, according to Forbes.
“You have a lot of friends in Washington and we’re here to support you,” Cafe Milano owner Franco Nuschese told him at a private luncheon co-hosted with BET founder Bob Johnson. A relaxed Woods (tan suit, blue shirt, no tie) posed for pictures with donors and talked about his foundation’s new focus.
Why has it shifted from golf clinics to scholarships? “Quite frankly, we were a circus,” he explained. “We’d come in, get everyone all stirred up, we’re hitting a few golf balls and then we’re gone. We’d leave a little bit of money behind, but there was nothing that was tangible, nothing these kids could grasp onto.”
Two years ago, he launched two learning centers in Wards 6 and 7 and has awarded scholarships to 25 D.C. students. The lunch raised $100,000 in less than two hours.
His golf game? Not so easy. “I feel good,” he told the crowd. “I’ve kind of been there, but I just haven’t had the consistency that I’d like. But, hey, I’m making a lot of changes and that takes time.”
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