The Tavistock Cup: Because the PGA Tour is never too long to broaden your financial portfolio

As Tiger Woods and a select few others fight their fatigue over the ridiculously long PGA Tour schedule by teeing it up at the Tavistock Cup while laughing it up to the uproarious humor of David Feherty, many wonder what the Tavistock Cup actually is, and why it’s PGA sanctioned.

Of course, that’s not for you to wonder, as you weren’t invited so just keep your thoughts to yourself, all right? And besides, they do it for charity:

The event not only benefits players and spectators, it also benefits local and international charities. In 2006, the Tavistock Cup raised more than $500,000 for charity, with donations over the past three years topping $1.5 million. Many worthy causes have benefited from this event including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, The Center for Drug-Free Living, The First Tee, Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association (OMYGA) and UCF Foundation.

Tavistock Group, which dabbles in sports betting and pharmaceuticals among other things, is a creation of British tax exile, the mysterious billionaire currency trader and venture capitalist Joe Lewis, who is rich enough to be a personal friend of Tiger.

“So any time I have any kind of business venture that I might be leery of, I can run it by him. It’s huge. It’s great to have people like that,” Woods has said of Lewis.

Here are but a few Tavistock’s and Lewis’s (and family) holdings:

Life Sciences
Ambryx, CovX, Eidogen-Sertanty, Kalypsys Iapyx

Financial Services
Broadworth Capital Advisors, Tavistock Financial Corporation, LSQ Funding, Rock Investments, Private Capital Group

Manufacturing and Distribution
Puma, Vans, Gottex, Freddo, Aroma Cafe, Condici, Microdyn, Bristol Cars Ltd

Sports and Entertainment
ENIC, UKBetting.com, Tottenham Hotspur, Slavia Prague, AEK Athens, FC Basel, Glasgow Rangers, Warner Bros. Studio Stores UK, Eire and WB Stage 16 Restaurants

Properties
Isleworth, Albany, Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Lake Nona, Harmony Cove, Old Fort Bay

Restaurants
Alcatraz Brewing Company, Blackhawk Grille, Cafe Del Rey, California Cafe, Horizons, Napa Valley Grille, Ondine, Sal & Carvao

So remember kids, when you wonder why the biggest names in golf flock to the Tavistock Cup to play golf in front of a select few when they complain about the length of the schedule and could be spending this precious time designing courses in Dubai, remember, it’s for charity. And for getting the organizers to occasionally toss them some of their scraps:

In partnership with Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, Tavistock Group is developing a private, residential resort-style luxury community on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas, called Albany Golf & Beach Club. This 565- acre exclusive oceanfront community will be conveniently located just seven minutes from Nassau’s international airport and will feature a broad array of sporting and dining amenities for all members of the family. Only 350 residences are planned for the community, which has been master planned by noted architects, Duany Plater-Zyberk.

–WKW