20th Tiger Jam a success for TGR Foundation
Tiger Jam returned to Las Vegas at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19. All proceeds collected from the sold-out, two-day charity event, hosted by Tiger Woods, will help the TGR Foundation equip underserved students with the resources to ensure lifelong success.
“Thanks to all the sponsors, donors and guests who attended, we were able to make the 20th Tiger Jam a huge success to continue expanding our impact at TGR Foundation and help underserved kids,” said Tiger Woods.
Tiger Jam kicked off Friday morning at the exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Course where guests were treated to breakfast and an exhibition and Q&A session with Tiger Woods. Woods provided insight on everything from his practice schedule and his process for choosing clubs, to his favorite moment in his career. Instagram sensation Joshua Kelley (also known as @holein1trickshots) impressed the crowd with a live trick shot performance. Former professional football star and NFL Network host Reggie Bush, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and golfer Paige Spiranac also joined guests for a memorable day on the bucket-list course.
That evening, guests had the opportunity to knock out the world’s top poker players as they hit the tables at Tiger’s Poker Night, presented by the World Poker Tour® (WPT®), inside Whiskey Down at MGM Grand. Poker legend and WPT Raw Deal host Phil Hellmuth emceed and participated in the exciting event, along with the WPT’s Vince Van Patten, Tony Dunst, and Lynn Gilmartin and professional poker players Maria Ho, Antonio Esfandiari, and Scotty Nguyen. Instagram sensation Napkin Killa drew his famous cocktail napkin portraits of guests at Tiger’s Poker Night. Eight players went all in on the final table, which resulted in crowning Stuart Porad as Tiger’s Poker Night amateur champion and Phil Hellmuth as Tiger’s Poker Night professional champion. Hellmuth generously donated the winnings back to TGR Foundation.
The festivities continued Saturday morning as Tiger Jam donors joined special guests including former woman’s long drive champion Troy Mullins and pro golfer Tisha Alyn Abrea to test their skills at a morning golf tournament at Shadow Creek hosted by Golf Channel’s Blair O’Neal. 18birdies, a new partner this year, provided players real time scoring of the tournament on the 18Birdies app.
The highly anticipated main event kicked-off Saturday evening with a VIP reception, emceed by Chris Harrison of “The Bachelor.” Attendees were welcomed to the reception with classic Las Vegas themed entertainment including an Elvis impersonator. Following dinner, Earl Woods Scholar recipient, Desiree Sim, took the stage to address the crowd. The Skidmore College rising senior is on track to graduate in Spring 2019 with plans to become a social worker and start a nonprofit to help at-risk youth. Sim shared that the Earl Woods Scholar Program gave her the support she needed when she felt that no one else would give her a chance. Next Woods addressed the crowd, first thanking his mother Kultilda Woods who was in attendance. Woods detailed that education came first in his family and it is the principle that has helped shaped TGR Foundation. He also made note that the foundation plans to impact millions both domestically and internationally. The reception wrapped with a thrilling live auction, filled with luxury items such as an Advance Package Acura MDX SH and unforgettable golf experiences at Bluejack National, Diamante Cabo San Lucas and the 2018 Hero World Challenge which includes the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to caddie for Tiger Woods during his Pro-Am round at Albany, Bahamas raising $50,000 for TGR Foundation. Sugar Ray Leonard surprised the crowd as he joined Chris Harrison on stage to help auction off not one, but two packages for a one-of-a-kind experience to spend the day with the boxing legend.
Following the reception, multi-GRAMMY and Billboard Award-winning band, Train, performed an intimate, poolside rock concert exclusively for Tiger Jam guests. The band wowed the crowd by taking selfies with the front row and handing out t-shirts throughout the show. Train performed some of their top hits including “Play That Song,” “Meet Virginia,” “Hey Soul Sister” and covered Journey’s “Don’t’ Stop Believin.’”
To cap off the night, attendees headed to the official post-party at Topgolf Las Vegas where they played interactive golf games and danced the night away in addition to indulging on delectable late-night bites. Guests walked away with great memories as well as amazing gifts including Jack Black gift boxes, custom Birchbox sets, Nike Golf shirts and much more.
As TGR Foundation expands its charitable impact, Tiger Jam continues to set the bar for premium charity events. Those who were not able to attend in person can see all of the weekend action from Las Vegas exclusively on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via @TGRLiveEvents.
Registration is now open for the 2019 VIP list, to be the first to know dates and details on next year’s events. For more information, visit TigerJam.com or call Matt Cusick at 949-725-3003.
