Local teens buy Tiger’s Buick

$61,100 BUICK-Earl Woods,left, Tiger's farther, presents the keys to Tiger's Buick Regal to Zach and Tyson Fitzgerald, right, last Wednesday, at Buick of Thousand Oaks.

Two Thousand Oaks teen-agers were able to scrape together just enough money to buy Tiger Woods’ Buick, and last Wednesday the brothers received the keys to the $60,100 Regal from Tiger’s dad, Earl Woods.

In June, during an eBay Motors auction, Tyson Fitzgerald, 15, and his brother Zach, 14, bid on the Buick Regal that Tiger drove during his historic win at the 2001 Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. The teenager’s $60,100 bid turned out to be the winner. The Fitzgerald brothers raised the cash from a sports card collecting business they have been running together.

"This really is an amazing piece of history," said Tyson. "Owning the Buick Tiger drove is a collectible like no other." According to the boys, the car is going straight into storage. It has to, neither teenager has a drivers license, yet.

Buick had donated the Regal to the Tiger Woods Foundation for the auction, which ran online on eBay Motors from June 7 through 17, and all proceeds from the sale go to charities and programs supported by the Foundation through its benevolent grants.

Tiger’s father, Earl Woods, who established the foundation with Tiger in 1996, presented the boys with the keys in a ceremony at Buick of Thousand Oaks in the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall.

"We congratulate the Fitzgerald brothers on the winning bid and thank them for their support of the Tiger Woods Foundation," said Earl Woods during the ceremony. "This auction presented the Foundation with another terrific fundraising opportunity for the programs that we support, and we are thrilled by its success."

Woods, whose vehicle of choice since his relationship with Buick began more than a year ago has been a black Buick Regal, signed a commemorative plate that is affixed to the car’s dashboard that is visible from the inside only. Unfortunately, Tiger’s golf commitments made it impossible for him to attend in person.

As Official Car of the PGA TOUR, Buick provides courtesy cars for all PGA TOUR tournaments. Usually, after a tournament, local Buick dealers hold a sales event focused on the courtesy fleet. This year, following the Masters. which Woods won for the second time by two shots, Buick secured Woods’ Regal with plans to donate it to charity.

Since 1984, Buick has donated more than $20 million to local charities through its sponsorship of four PGA TOUR tournaments. Buick is also an associate sponsor of the Tiger Woods Foundation’s PGA TOUR co-sponsored event, the Williams World Challenge presented by Target, which will be held Dec. 11 – 16 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. Tickets for the tournament are available through Ticketmaster or by calling 714-816-1806.

Established in 1996 by Tiger Woods and his father Earl, the Tiger Woods Foundation is a charity that empowers young people to reach their highest potential by initiating and supporting community-based programs that promote the health, education and welfare of all of America’s children. Through golf clinics, motivational speeches, educational programs, the support of local heroes, and direct grants, the Foundation has interacted with more than 70,000 kids across America. More information is available at www.twfound.org.

The Buick Regal is powered by a 3.8 liter V-6 engine. Other features include 16-inch cast aluminum wheels, standard body-colored grille and Gran Touring suspension.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail price (MSRP) for the 2001 Buick Regal is $23,575.

The Buick Regal and all the other models in the Buick range, including the first Buick SUV, the 2002 Revendous, can be seen, and test driven, at Buick of Thousand Oaks in the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall.