VERONA --
As golf fans get excited for Tiger Woods to tee up at the Players Championship this week for the first time since the Masters, Central New York golf fans are reminded that Woods is just two months away from returning to Turning Stone. It was announced last month that Woods would play in the Notah Begay Foundation Challenge on July 5th, along with fellow PGA golfer Rickie Fowler and NFL quarterbacks Tony Romo and Sam Bradford. Of course, Woods played in the charity event two years ago, just before his life was turned upside down by a sex scandal. And while he's still struggling to get his game back where it was before, his good friend Begay shakes his head when he hears people say his greatness on the course is a thing of the past.
"If you look at the World Golf Hall of Fame inductees this year, you know, Ernie Els is the most modern (name) that some people might know about, but you put their resumes against Tigers and it's not even close. You're dealing with a player who has just spoiled the golfing public with just beyond realistic expectations. We expect the "super human" from him, and I think once he gets that first victory after this personal tribulation that he's been through I think you're gonna see some really really great golf."
And while Woods is good enough exposure, Begay says there will be more celebrities involved with the event which helps raise money for the health and wellness of Native American children. And while he's still sorting out the details of which movie stars or musicians might get on board, he's excited big NFL names like Romo and Bradford have been inspired to play.
"All of these athletes are in support of what the NB3 foundation is all about, and I think that's the biggest hook to get them to participate. There are 71-thousand non-profits out there that address health or sport, and the NB3 foundation is the only non-profit in America that recognizes both. We address health based initiatives through the implementation of sports programs So we're taking a unique stance against child obesity and type two diabetes which athletics is one of the biggest factors towards preventing those two things in our young kids."
It's a cause Woods is certainly behind, a big reason why Begay hates seeing his friend portrayed negatively in the media. He says Woods could not have been more generous the last time he played in the event, and no one even knew it.
"He contributed his entire winners check last time to the foundation's cause. And you know, it wasn't publicized, nobody talked about it, but I'm in a position now two years later where I feel like it's important that people know it was over $250,000. And a lot of people would say, you know, he's a multi-millionaire, but at the end of the day it's a quarter of a Million Dollars!! It got us through our budget, and helped us achieve a lot of our goals."
Click on the video link to hear more from Notah Begay on Tiger Woods.
