Tiger Woods has not played competitive golf since the 2024 Open Championship - Instagram/@tgrfound

He may not be carving up the fairways like he used to, but Tiger Woods showed he can still throw a birthday party with the best of them. The 15-time major winner, who turned 50 on December 30, hosted a lavish “red-themed” bash at The Breakers luxury resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday evening, where Jon Bon Jovi performed an acoustic set for 300 VIP guests, who ate from a Masters-themed menu.

The evening officially doubled up as a fundraiser for Woods’ TGR foundation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It was attended by a mix of Woods’ extended social circle: fellow players such as Justin Thomas, Max Homa and Rickie Fowler, social media influencers, foundation graduates and those who have supported Woods’ charity over the years.

Homa (left), Thomas (right) and Woods’ former caddie Joe LaCava on stage

An impressive $50m was raised on the night, nearly half of which came from one man: Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot founder Arthur Blank, who donated $20m on his own.

There is no doubt who the main man was, though. Woods may not have played competitively since the Open at Troon back in 2024. His body may be shot to pieces following the catastrophic injuries he sustained in a car crash four years ago. And his love life – a source of constant tabloid fascination since Woods’ split with ex-wife Elin Nordegren back in 2010 after confessing to a string of infidelities – may continue to garner more column inches than his golf. Woods is currently dating Donald Trump Jnr’s ex-wife Vanessa. But this was a night to celebrate arguably the greatest player the game has ever known, and the tone of the evening appears to have been uniformly reverential.

The former World No 1 golfer now has links to the Trump family - Instagram/@tgrfound

Woods, wearing a dark tuxedo with a red tie and red pocket square, arrived at the hotel in the billionaire enclave of Palm Beach at around 6.30pm, accompanied by Vanessa Trump, who sported red high heels. The evening was entitled “Red” and the dress code required guests to wear “a touch of red”, a nod to the colour the 82-time PGA Tour winner made iconic on so many Sundays during his career. Woods’ mother Kultida, who was from Thailand and died last year, believed red was Woods’ “power colour”, as a Capricorn, and encouraged him to wear it on important rounds when he was a child.

Vanessa Trump’s daughter, Kai, an aspiring professional golfer who recently attended the Ryder Cup with her presidential grandfather, wore a long red dress and a cast on her left arm after recent wrist surgery.

Kai Trump (left), an aspiring golfer, with Woods’ current partner Vanessa Trump - Instagram/@kaitrumpgolfer

After a quick photo opp with Bon Jovi, who has a $43m mansion in the exclusive beach town where the president also has a residence, Woods then headed to the ballroom for an acoustic set by the 63-year-old rock legend.

No one appeared to hold the singer’s politics against him. Bon Jovi is famously a staunch supporter of the Democratic party, consistently endorsing and campaigning for Democratic candidates like Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris while vehemently criticising Trump’s politics and perceived authoritarianism. Bon Jovi’s views on the actions of ICE agents in the States at the moment would not be hard to divine.

Everyone was on best behaviour, however, which was probably not a surprise given guests at the party were pretty much outnumbered by police and secret service. The windows of the ballroom, which would normally look out to the ocean, were even blacked out for security reasons.

Bon Jovi is said to have kicked things off with Lost Highway before launching into a medley of his greatest hits which included Livin’ on a Prayer and It’s My Life. “I’ve done a lot of big fundraisers with Tiger, even in people’s homes and we’re really, really happy to be here tonight,” the singer told guests. “I want to thank you very much because it’s been quite a long time since I performed in public…”

After the music, guests settled down to a meal which was inspired by Woods’ five Masters champions dinners. These included sushi, porterhouse steaks, crab cakes, cheeseburgers, steak and chicken fajitas, stuffed jalapeños, French fries and milkshakes.

The evening wound up shortly after 10pm, with guests flowing out of the ballroom clutching a small black gift box which contained fragrance.

The idea for a combined 50th birthday-charity fundraiser had apparently been presented to Woods by TGR chief executive Cyndi Court around a year ago. Court recently told Front Office Sports before the event that the night would be “a lot more than a birthday party, and a lot more than an event.” And it did raise some serious money, helped by that $20m donation from Blank, who also happens to be a prominent member of the Strategic Sports Group (SSG), which has a major investment deal with the PGA Tour.

Blank was one of many on the night to pay tribute to the main man. “I have immense respect and admiration for Tiger, not only for his legendary career, but for the way he continues to lead with purpose off the course,” Blank said in a statement. “It’s truly an honour to partner with someone who believes so deeply in the power of education and community.”

Woods’ next move as a competitive golfer remains uncertain but he is now eligible to play on the senior tour - Instagram/@tgrfound

Yet the evening also appeared to have the unfortunate feel of a wake, paying tribute to one of the all-time greats and honouring his legacy rather than looking forward to any sort of comeback. Despite doing an on-stage Q&A, no talk yet has emerged about Woods’ plans for his own playing career.

Woods remains sidelined following surgery to both his Achilles tendon and his lower back last year. It was his seventh lower-back surgery.

Having reached his half-century, Woods is now eligible for the senior circuit, and there is growing belief that, if he is ever to regain the match fitness needed to compete for a 16th major, let alone the 18 which Jack Nicklaus recorded, the Champions Tour may be his wisest option. “I’ve said to him, please come play,” four-time major winner Ernie Els recently said. “It can only be beneficial to him. He will get himself in golf shape. You can ride a cart without any shame and if there was one guy that should be able to drive a cart, it’s him.”

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