Educated guess pays dividends for winner of car
JUPITER — Harvey Caplan had a good feeling about Thursday’s Birdies for Children drawing at The Honda Classic’s annual Celebration of Philanthropy event.
The West Palm Beach resident was one of 15 people who correctly guessed the number of birdies made at the 2018 Honda Classic — 1,090 — and was eligible to win a brand new Honda automobile courtesy of the PGA Tour event’s longtime title sponsor, American Honda.
“I’m always winning stuff,” said Caplan, 69, a retired businessman and longtime golfer. “People say they never win anything. I’m pretty lucky. When I left the house, I said to my wife, ‘Make sure that you bring your driver’s license, because we’re going to be driving two cars home from the function.’ ” It didn’t quite happen that way. Caplan’s name was drawn at the end of a ceremony for grant recipients and beneficiaries of The Honda Classic at the Wyndham Grand Jupiter At Harbourside Place, and he was handed a giant key to a 2018 Honda Civic Sport Touring with “a lot of extras,” Caplan said.
However, Caplan didn’t drive it home, as it was not the car he actually had won.
That car was delayed in its arrival, so Caplan will pick it up in Lake Worth when it’s ready.
“I have to go there, and I’ve got to pay taxes,” said Caplan, who came up with the winning birdies guess by looking over past winning guesses and then picking a number he liked. “They’re not just going to let me drive this thing home.”
Caplan said he “absolutely” plans on entering the Birdies for Children contest again next year. The program provides an opportunity for local charities to team up with The Honda Classic and present their donors with a chance to win a new Honda automobile.
The charities benefit from the proceeds plus a 10 percent matching contribution courtesy of The Honda Classic.
Caplan entered the contest after making a donation to Florida Outreach Center for the Blind.
Thursday’s grand prize drawing capped a week of charitable giving as part of Honda Classic Cares Week. On Monday, the PGA Tour event announced it would award a record $4.55 million to South Florida children’s charities this year.
More than 50,000 children who are affiliated with 137 charitable organizations are expected to benefit from the proceeds of the Honda Classic Cares initiative.