Woods tournament heading to Pa. course in 2010, 2011

Bethesda, Md. — The grounds of Congressional Country Club appear to be bursting at the seams this week. Ropes, fences, hospitality tents, grandstands, portable toilets, and refreshment stands dot the landscape to accommodate spectators attending what is popularly known as “Tiger’s Tournament.” The AT&T National Hosted by Tiger Woods, the official name of the $6 million PGA Tour event, begins a third successful season here Thursday before it takes to the road for the next two years, to Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa. The tournament has to leave Congressional for 2010 and 2011 while the golf course undergoes a renovation to prepare it for the 2012 U.S. Open. It’s hard to imagine all the trappings of a big-time PGA Tour event, to say nothing of crowds and lines of shuttle buses, taking place at Aronimink. Nonetheless, Aronimink members and staff are in Bethesda this week to see what to expect. Aronimink officials got a sneak peak at this event last year when Greg McLaughlin, chief executive and president of the Tiger Woods Foundation and the event’s executive director, was beginning discussions about having the club host the tournament. Of course, the final approval for moving the tournament to Aronimink rested with the tournament host and the world’s No. 1-ranked player, and Woods appeared happy Tuesday while discussing next year’s site. “We’re going to a great golf course,” he said. “Aronimink is one of the toughest golf courses there is. We’re looking forward to getting there. Philly is a huge market, and for us to go there, it certainly helps us in how we can raise funds to benefit a lot of the kids.” Aronimink, a design of the legendary Donald Ross, opened in 1928. It has hosted the 1962 PGA Championship and the 2003 Senior PGA Championship, in addition to the 1977 U.S. Amateur and the 1997 U.S. Junior Amateur. McLaughlin said yesterday his task was to make sure he found a course that would be the best test of golf for the pros, attract a strong field, and generate great support. But he added that another important step was, “to be honest with you, make Tiger happy.” “He’s excited about all the things he’s heard or read about Aronimink and what the guys have told him on the tour,” McLaughlin said. Two major thumbs-ups for Aronimink were given to Woods from club member and PGA Tour player Sean O’Hair of West Chester and 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, runner-up in the 1997 U.S. Junior Amateur. “I think it’ll be great for the area and for local charities,” O’Hair said. “I’m looking forward to it being at Aronimink. It should be a great tournament, really a no-lose situation. It’s a great setup. They always keep it in great shape. It’s a great layout, one of my favorite places.” In all, 200 people from the Philadelphia area, including Aronimink president David Boucher and tournament chairman Mike Higgins, have been or will be hosted this week, McLaughlin said. “Our goal in having them come down is just to see what the event looks like and get some sense of the bigness of the event and how it would work at their club,” he said. The Philadelphia area definitely will embrace the host. This will be the region’s first up-close look at the world’s top-ranked player. Looking long-term, Aronimink could be in line for more Woods after 2011. Congressional approved a three-year extension for 2012 to 2014 by the slimmest of margins, indicating the event could depart for good after the final year. The tournament is an invitational, meaning a field of 120 players as compared to a full-field event of 144 to 156. It’s a little light on stars this year, with only four of the top 10 in the World Golf Rankings and four of the top 10 PGA Tour money winners participating. (Woods is the only common name on each list.) Weighing in: During his half-hour news conference, Woods commented on well-known figures. On Michael Jackson: “I know my entire generation was influenced by his music. His legacy is one as the greatest entertainer.” On Michael Jordan: “People think he just showed up and scored 45. That’s not what happened. God, this guy worked hard, the countless hours in the gym, shooting and shooting and shooting.” On Jim Brown’s comments on HBO’s “Real Sports that Woods’ work for social change was “terrible”: “I think I do a pretty good job with what we’re trying to do with the foundation. … I want to do it right. That takes time. I think what we’ve done so far has been very good … and it’s helped a lot of kids.” On Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who is entering Redskins territory to play with Woods in Wednesday’s Pro-Am: “For him to come to D.C., certainly I didn’t realize it was going to be this big a deal. … Granted, he’s used to being booed.”