AUGUSTA — Tiger Woods is not at the Masters this week due to injury, but his team including representatives from his foundation were at Augusta National on Monday for an announcement that will see a TGL Learning Lab open in the city.
Woods, 49, who began his own foundation shortly after turning pro in 1996 and recently opened a learning lab in Philadelphia to go along with one in Southern California, will also design a 9-hole short course at a local course known as The Patch.
The Patch is Augusta Municipal Golf Course, undergoing a renovation funded by Augusta National and scheduled to reopen next year.
The Learning Lab, which will provide access to science, technology, engineering, arts and math to underserved youth in the area, is scheduled to open in 2028.
Masters chairman Fred Ridley made the announcement and said that Augusta National Golf Club would be making a “meaningful financial contribution to the lab’s construction and ongoing operation” and said the facility will “strengthen our community and drive economic growth. It will spark innovation and deliver a skilled workforce that will serve Augusta for many years to come.
“These are worthy investments, and TGL Learning Lab Augusta will help make all of this a reality. Tiger’s philanthropic legacy intertwined with his many magical moments at Augusta National will forever be celebrated in this community. I thank him for his commitment to uplift our city.”
Woods, who won the first of his five Masters in 1997 and added his 15th major title when he won the Masters in 2019, was expected to play this year until he announced an Achilles injury to his left leg three weeks ago.
He has not competed officially since missing the cut at the British Open in July.
Woods was shown via a brief video in which he was wearing his green jacket.
Ridley said the idea took root more than a year ago when he and Woods played a round at Augusta National in advance of the Masters.
“I thought I would mention The Patch Project, which I think we were formally announcing that week at the tournament,” Ridley said during a news conference. “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, a dialogue that took place between our organizations, and after that a few meetings took place, and the idea just sort of grew from what we were doing to how Tiger and TGR could be involved.
“He then sort of moved into discussing the big idea of the TGR Learning Lab, which to me is just very exciting. We also recognize the importance of deepening Tiger’s legacy in Augusta and with the Masters, and this we felt was an enduring way that we could be forever connected with Tiger and all he’s done at the Masters and now all that he’s going to be doing in this community.”
The TGR Learning Lab will be located at the former site of Lamar Elementary School and will deliver programming available to all Richmond County School System students and the surrounding Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) school districts.
The Patch Project is a partnership between Augusta Technical College, The First Tee of Augusta and Masters Tournament Charities.
The plan features a redesigned 18-hole layout led by golf course architects Tom Fazio and Beau Welling, who is the designer on Woods’s golf course design. The new 9-hole short course designed by TGR Design will be called The Loop at The Patch.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tiger Woods, Augusta National to Build a TGL Learning Lab in Augusta.