Wednesday, July 2, 2008
AT&T National tournament honors, supports military
by Nathan Carrick | Staff Writer
Reigning champion K.J. Choi headlines the field at this year’s AT&T National.
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For the second year in a row, the AT&T National will not only draw 120 of the world’s best golfers to Bethesda’s Congressional Country Club, it will offer a host of programs and activities to honor real warriors: the men and women of the U.S. military.
And once again, the tournament’s opening ceremony will be dedicated to the nation’s armed service members and their families.
The ceremony actually began several weeks ago when the Tiger Woods Foundation shipped golf balls and clubs to military bases in Germany, Japan, The United Kingdom, Iraq, Afghanistan and on the USS Harry S. Truman. Military personnel at each of the locations hit a ceremonial first ball will be delivered to the tournament’s first tee today at 11 a.m. by the 101st Airborne Parachute Demonstration Team.
PGA Tour golfer Fred Couples and 25 children whose parents are on active duty will receive the balls. Couples and two of the children will hit what the foundation is calling the ceremonial ‘‘shot from around the world” to kick off the tournament.
‘‘I wanted this year’s ceremony to honor the men and women who serve in our military and their families,” Tiger Woods said in a statement. ‘‘I grew up in a military household, which gave me an understanding of the sacrifices these soldiers and their families make for all of us. It’s our way of saying thanks to them.”
Woods christened the AT&T National last year in honor of his father, Earl Woods, who died in 2006 after an eight-year battle with prostate cancer. Earl Woods was a Green Beret who served two tours in the Vietnam War. When he retired, he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army.
For Sgt. Michael J. Woods, this year’s tournament will have a tough time living up to last year’s when he got to caddy for Tiger Woods.
‘‘Last year they asked if anyone wanted to volunteer as a caddy and a bunch of us said, sure,” Sgt. Woods said. ‘‘There was no picking and choosing. We just piled on a bus and went out there.”
When Sgt. Woods arrived, he was paired with the more famous Woods to be his caddy on one hole.
For Sgt. Woods, it was the Par 3 hole 7.
‘‘I was pretty nervous,” Sgt. Woods said in a recent interview. ‘‘He’s from where I’m from in Florida, and he’s one of the major reasons I play.”
After Tiger’s approach, the two men introduced themselves to each other and chatted.
‘‘Then he asked what I thought about the putt,” Sgt. Woods said. ‘‘I told him, and he said, show me. So he handed me his putter and I sank a putt for him.”
Sgt. Woods, a human resources specialist with the U.S. Army Materiel Command based out of Fort Belvoir, Va., will caddy at the tournament again this year. Sgt. Woods said he plays golf every chance he gets, but doesn’t think he’ll have a better golf story.
‘‘I don’t think anything can top that,” he said.
As for the tournament’s focus on thanking military personnel, ‘‘It means a lot that he’s honoring the military,” Sgt. Woods said. ‘‘It was like he was honoring us along with his father because he knows what we go through.”
This year AT&T is partnering with Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization created by two teens from Norwell, Mass., to help buy prepaid phone cards to send to U.S. military members who are serving overseas. Although cell phones are not allowed onto the course, mailing sleeves will be available in the clubhouse to mail old phones to the organization. Phones can also be dropped off at any AT&T store. The proceeds from the recycled phones will be used to buy phone cards for military members.
There will also be 16 representatives of the armed forces — on behalf of the Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army — who will serve as starters on the first and 10th tees from Wednesday through Sunday.
Another 52 active servicemen and women will act as caddies on hole 7 during the week.
And 30,000 complimentary tickets have been given to active military personnel.
Tickets for the public range from $25 for a single day to $550 for a week-long pass of premium tickets. According to the event’s Web site, ticket prices are expected to increase once the tournament begins.
Several wounded soldiers from Walter Reed Army and Bethesda Naval hospitals will appear as special guests of the AT&T National for the tournament week. While on the course, they will be accompanied by dedicated hosts and be provided with special accommodations and hospitality.
Additionally, fans attending the tournament will have the chance to show their support for the troops by filling out postcards that will then be sent to military personnel stationed around the world. In all, 100,000 cards are being distributed at the tournament by America Supports You, which will send out the cards after the tournament.
All military personnel will also get a one-time 10 percent discount at course merchandise locations.
The tournament is sponsored by AT&T, America Supports You and the Tiger Woods Foundation. American Supports you is a program organized by the Department of Defense in 2004 to showcase America’s support for its troops.
The Tiger Woods Foundation was created in 1996 by Woods and his late father with the goal of helping young people achieve their goals through character development, career exploration, scholarships and grant-making programs. The Foundation estimates it has reached 10 million young people.
Keep in touch
What: Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that helps buy prepaid phone cards to send to U.S. military who are serving overseas
How: Donate your old cell phone so that the proceeds from the recycled phones can be used to buy phone cards for military.
Where: Cell phones are not allowed onto the course at Congressional, but mailing sleeves will be available in the clubhouse to mail old phones to the organization. Phones can also be dropped off at any AT&T company-owned retail store.
