PARSIPPANY, N.J. and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., April 18, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PGA TOUR and Avis Car Rental announced today that Tiger Woods has been voted the March PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis. As the official rental car company of the PGA TOUR, Avis will make a $50,000 contribution to the Tiger Woods Foundation.
In a fan decision on PGATOUR.COM, Woods earned 61 percent of the vote and outpolled Michael Thompson (The Honda Classic), Kevin Streelman (Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank) and D.A. Points (Shell Houston Open). The four were nominated by a panel of national media for their performances during the month of March. This month's recognition marks the second time that Tiger Woods has received the honor. He was named Player of the Month presented by Avis last June.
"I want to thank all of the fans that voted for me as PGA TOUR Player of the Month and Avis for their generous contribution," Woods said. "This means a lot to me and my Foundation, helping us provide even more first-generation students with the opportunity to attend college and plan their path to a rewarding career."
Woods won both of his PGA TOUR starts in March to take over the lead in the FedExCup standings. At the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship (March 7-10), Woods finished two strokes clear of Steve Stricker to earn his 17th career World Golf Championships title. Two weeks later at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (March 21-24), Woods defeated Justin Rose by two strokes, winning the event for a PGA TOUR record-tying eighth time (Sam Snead/Greater Greensboro Open). His 76th and 77th career PGA TOUR wins moved him within five wins of all-time leader Snead's 82 victories.
"We congratulate Tiger Woods on his success in the month of March and for being the first player to be voted PGA TOUR Player of the Month more than once," said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, Avis Budget Group. "We're proud to donate $50,000 in his name once again."
Since its inception in 1996 by Tiger Woods and his father, Earl, the Tiger Woods Foundation has reached millions of underserved young people through unique college-access programs. For scholars in grades 5-12, the Tiger Woods Learning Centers provide hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and math while the Earl Woods Scholarship Program provides admissions counseling, college scholarships, dedicated mentors, specialized internships and vital workshops.
For more information or to vote for the PGA TOUR Player of the Month presented by Avis, visit www.pgatour.com.
About Avis
Avis Car Rental operates one of the world's best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,200 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit www.avis.com.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada.
The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 945 million households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2012, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $122 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
