Tiger Woods opens Official All Star Cafe in
Myrtle Beach
By Bob Bestler
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Tiger Woods put the finishing touches
on the Grand Strand's celebrity-rich weekend Monday.
Woods made Myrtle Beach his first stop after Sunday's historic
Masters victory, dropping by to cut the ribbon and open the new
Official All Star Cafe.
"I'm glad to be here," he told about some 2,000 fans
who had shown up. "Where's the warm weather?
"It's exciting to be opening my own place in Myrtle Beach,
which is probably the golf mecca of the world."
The 21-year-old Woods had kept the sports world glued to its
television set over the weekend as he became the first black golfer
African American to win the once-restricted Masters tournament
at Augusta National Golf Club.
He established several records along the way, including the
lowest tournament score and largest margin of victory.
"I'm still on cloud nine9," he said. "It was
a great moment. When I knew I'd won the tournament is when I hugged
my mom and pop. I lost it. If you saw it on TV, you know I cried
big time."
Asked about his new green Masters jacket, which he was given
for winning at Augusta National, Woods saidjoked, "I slept
with it last night."
Woods brought some Masters memorabilia to place in the new
Tiger Woods Clubhouse inside the All Star Cafe, including a signed
blank score card, a signed Masters program and a signed menu from
Sunday night's Champions Dinner. (The main courses: prime beef
mignon, sea bass and broiled lamb chop.)
The Tiger Woods Clubhouse also features various other memorabilia,
including a showcase of his amateur career and clothes he has
worn at some of his professional tournaments. It also has several
Titleist balls and a King Cobra driver.
Hanging from the ceiling is a Rolls- Royce golf cart from Pine
Lakes International - the Grand Strand's first golf course.
Woods' appearance at the ribbon-cutting was scheduled for 12:30
p.m. He got there late and stayed around only about 40 minutes
before he left quietly out the back way.
He signed only a handful of autographs - including a Sun News
sports page photo of himself for WWMX-FM (97.7) morning personality
Terri Springs.
Woods' next stop will not be this week's MCI Classic at Hilton
Head Island. He will not be playing in the tournament.
Instead, he was heading for Atlantic City, N.J., where he and
other sports celebrities were opening another Official All Star
Cafe on Monday night. On Sunday night, a slate of Hollywood and
sports stars, from Joe Montana and Ken Griffey Jr. to Bruce Willis
and Patrick Swayze, appeared for a double grand opening of the
side-by-side Planet Hollywood and All Star Cafe. Woods could not
make it because he was preoccupied in Augusta.
On Monday, Woods was joined on the steps of the All Star Cafe
by Myrtle Beach Mayor Bob Grissom - who was called "Mayor
Christian" by All Star Cafe President Ian Hamilton, who quickly
corrected himself.
Grissom gave Woods the key to the city and joked about having
Tiger Woods and "Bobcat Grissom" on the same stage.
Before he left, Woods had two other assignments: He helped
toss golf balls, T-shirts and caps to fans, then escorted the
first official customers into the All Star Cafe.
They were the Whiteville, N.C., family of Hugh and Boo Hassell
and children Joanna, 12, Jim, 5, and Virginia, 4.
The family had watched Woods in Augusta Saturday, then driven
to Myrtle Beach early Monday to see him close up, arriving at
9:30 a.m.
"They had to come see Tiger," Hugh Hassell said of
his childrenkids.
"He's a really good player," Joanna said. "His
swing is so graceful."
Dan Harf, vice president of operations for both Planet Hollywood
and All Star Cafe, introduced Woods by calling him "the most
incredible, the coolest, the most fantastic athlete in the world."
Harf's home base is in Orlando, Fla., and he got to know Woods
at Isleworth Golf Club, where both play.
Just a couple weeks ago Woods shot a 59 at the club playing
with fellow member and good friend Mark O'Meara. The score broke
O'Meara's club record by five strokes.
"He's the nicest kid you'd ever want to meet," Harf
said.
He added that once they were playing together when Harf got
a call from his son saying he had made the high-school basketball
team.
"Tiger got as excited as I did and made sure I told him
how great that was that he made the team,." Harf said.
(Sports editor John Brasier contributed to this report.)
(c) 1997, The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.).
Visit the Sun News' World Wide Web site, at http://www.myrtlebeachaccess.com/
Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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