AUGUSTA, Georgia : Five-times Masters champion Tiger Woods further strengthened his ties to Augusta National with the announcement on Monday that he will design a local nine-hole short course in conjunction with the club.
Augusta National will also partner with Woods and his nonprofit TGR Foundation on the opening of a fourth TGR Learning Lab to serve local students.
“Tiger’s philanthropic legacy intertwined with his many magical moments at Augusta National will forever be celebrated in this community,” Augusta Chairman Fred Ridley told a press conference. “I thank him for his commitment to uplift our city.”
Ridley said the layout by Woods and his course architecture firm TGR Design will be called “The Loop at the Patch” and the par-three course, scheduled to open next April, will pay tribute to caddies who used the course as a gathering spot for decades.
Ridley said he first suggested the idea to Woods as they played golf together before the 2024 Masters.
“It was clear when I shared the concept that it sort of piqued his interest, and that was sort of the beginning of a conversation,” said Ridley.
“He then sort of moved into discussing the big idea of the TGR Learning Lab, which to me is just very exciting.”
Woods was scheduled to be present at the press conference but Ridley said the golfer was unable to attend given he is recovering from surgery in March to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon that kept him out of this week’s Masters.
“Partnering with Augusta National Golf Club to serve its surrounding community is truly special,” Woods said in a recorded video.
“My passion for education and golf dates back a long time, as does my relationship with Augusta National and the city of Augusta.”
Woods made the Masters cut last year for a record-setting 24th consecutive time. He is both the youngest Masters champion at 21 in 1997 and the second-oldest champion at 43 in 2019.
