In his first decade on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods carted away 10 major championships, helped usher in the era of the long ball and changed the view of golf to athletic hip from its polyester past.
But Woods says his most important legacy carries his name and sits on a plot of land in his old neighborhood, a sparkling property that played host on Friday to dignitaries, school children and Woods himself.
"This is by far the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," AP quoted Woods as saying about the Tiger Woods Learning Center, which was unveiled on Friday in Anaheim, California. "This is bigger than golf. This is bigger than anything I've done on the golf course, because we will be able to shape lives."
PHOTO: AP
With former US president Bill Clinton in attendance, Woods set off on his largest off-the-course endeavor, a high-tech, 11,000m2 educational center located next to the H.G. Miller Golf Course, where Woods played during high school, near Woods' childhood home in Cypress, California.
"I'm impressed Tiger Woods decided to do this when he was 30 instead of when he was 60," Clinton said, according to AP. "It's hard to have great gifts and bring them to bear in the public eye under enormous pressure when you're young."
Clinton added that he was impressed that Woods had been able "to amass a stunning, unprecedented record and keep holding yourself up to start giving back at this point in your life."
The center cost US$25 million to complete and will offer children grades 4-12 educational programs in a building that houses 100 computer stations, a 200-seat auditorium and a multimedia center. More than 70 donors are listed as contributors to the facility.
True to Woods' chosen vocation, the property also has a driving range and an 18-hole putting course.
Although his golf prowess has made him an international celebrity -- he has two victories in two starts this year -- Woods said he had dealt almost daily with preparing for the opening of the learning center, which is designed to augment a student's normal school curriculum.
His father, Earl Woods, who has been battling cancer and was unable to attend the opening, has also been a key presence in shaping the center. At the groundbreaking ceremony in 2003, Tiger Woods opened the fund-raising by offering US$5 million.
"I hope the message goes out loud and clear that more athletes should give back to the community and give back to the sport that made you what you are today," Earl Woods said in Southland Golf Magazine in 2003.
According to the learning center's Web site, a full-time staff of educators will give about 3,000 students access in the first year. Tiger Woods said he viewed the center as a place for students "to explore their dreams and open doors to new opportunities and potential career paths."
Woods added, "This is their center, and I hope it serves as a launching pad to great success."
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