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February 19, 2010; WSOC-TV | Tiger Woods’ press appearance last week left a lot of people wondering when—or whether—he’ll return to golf. But a group of Charlotte, N.C. charities are keeping their fingers crossed that he agrees to tee off April 26 at the Quail Hollow Championship. The PGA event is a major source of funding for area nonprofits. According to WSOC-TV, Champions for Education, which hosts, manages and operates the championship, the event helps raise substantial amounts of money for local nonprofits each year. For instance, in 2009, $800,000 was given to Teach For America in Charlotte, $150,000 was donated to Levine Children’s Hospital and $100,000 was distributed to the First Tee of Charlotte. Jeff Beaver, executive director of Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, says Woods brings big crowds wherever he plays. “Obviously, if Tiger is in the field it increases attention,” he said. For example, in 2008, Woods skipped the tournament and ticket sales were down. Last year, Woods played but after falling out of the top spot on the second day, ticket sales also fell. This year, charities would rather see Woods drop golf balls in the hole than watch their funding fall in the hole.—Bruce Trachtenberg
