Dialing in for the AT&T

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Dialing in for the AT&T

PGA Tour stop tees off minus its star attraction

by John Y. Wehmueller | Staff Writer

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Gazette file photo

With the absence of the world’s top two golfers (Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson) at the AT&T National this year, Takoma Park native Fred Funk will likely have among the largest galleries at Congressional Country Club this week.

The Conference and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County estimates 155,000 people flocked to Bethesda’s Congressional Country Club last year during the six days of the inaugural AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods.

How many of those 155,000 came just to see the host perform? We’re about to find out.

First-round play begins Thursday at the 2008 AT&T National, hosted in absentia by Woods, convalescing after June 24 surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The absence of the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer leaves a yawning hole in the field of his own tournament.

But it’s an absence the PGA Tour’s Montgomery County stop had each year from 1980-2007. In a conference call with media members Monday, both Woods and tournament chairman Greg McLaughlin expressed confidence that this year’s event would be a success.

‘‘We have a great field of professionals led by defending champion K.J. Choi,” McLaughlin said. ‘‘We’re looking forward to a fantastic week here at Congressional Country Club.”

Choi is the first native of South Korea ever to earn a PGA Tour card and stands 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He shot a final-round 68 to win the 2007 title with a four-day total of 9-under par, three strokes better than runner-up Steve Stricker.

Stricker, the world’s seventh-ranked player, returns to challenge Choi again, along with last year’s co-third-place finishers, Jim Furyk and Stuart Appleby.

Also in the field is Rocco Mediate, Woods’ co-star at the recent U.S. Open. Woods birdied the final hole of regulation there to tie Mediate for the lead and force an 18-hole playoff the following day. Woods birdied the 18th to tie Mediate again Monday, forcing a sudden-death playoff, which Woods won on the next hole.

With his epic runner-up finish, Mediate, 45, became a crowd favorite and leapt to No. 48 in the World Golf Ranking. He should draw good-sized galleries at Congressional.

This week also presents an opportunity to check out rising star Anthony Kim. As a rookie last season, Kim finished tied for 25th at the AT&T National in relative obscurity. This year, he already owns three top-three finishes, including a win at the Wachovia Championship.

Other players to watch include Ryuji Imada, sixth in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings and eighth on the money list, J.B. Holmes, second on Tour in driving distance, St. Albans graduate Olin Browne and Takoma Park’s own Fred Funk.

The course they will face has seen two minor changes from a year ago. The par-3 second hole and par-4 sixth have both been lengthened slightly. According to the scorecard, the second will now play at 232 yards. The already tricky sixth is now the longest par-4 on the course, at 518 yards.

The course will undergo thorough renovations after next year’s AT&T National, in preparation for the 2011 U.S. Open. Woods expressed dissatisfaction with the greens during last year’s tournament, but said Monday that a full year of preparation had fixed the problem.

‘‘They were not up to normal Tour standards last year; they were bumpy,” he said. ‘‘The golf course is in much better shape. The greens are much smoother and faster. I think guys will be pleased with the conditions when they see it this week.”

Undeniably, however, the star power of last year’s inaugural event has faded. Stricker and Choi are the only top-10 players in the world who will attend. In 2008, the world’s top four and six of the top eight appeared at Congressional.

Only one of those six — Furyk, who has dropped from No. 4 to No. 13 in the interim — returns this year. Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy join Woods on the absentee list.

‘‘I totally understand,” Woods said. ‘‘Some guys are over in Europe getting ready for the British Open [July 17-20]. Some want the July 4 weekend to spend with their families. Other guys want to play.”

As for his own schedule, Woods said, ‘‘I don’t think I can make it” because plane flights cause his surgically repaired knee to swell. Though Woods also said, ‘‘We all know I don’t listen to doctors too well.”

Prohibited items

The following items are prohibited from the Congressional Country Club Golf Course during the AT&T National Tournament.

Backpacks

Beepers

Beverage containers

Carry items larger than a small purse (this includes diaper⁄baby bags)

Cameras

Cellular phones

Coolers

Firearms

Folding-arm chairs or lawn chairs (no matter what height)

Ladders

Large camera bags

Packages

Periscopes

Picnic baskets

Radios

Signs

Strollers

Televisions

Video cameras

Handheld XM Satellite radios are permitted on the course.

The A-List

Notable players committed to appear in this week’s AT&T National Hosted by Tiger Woods, along with each player’s standing in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Top 50

*K.J. Choi (11)

Jim Furyk (12)

Anthony Kim (19)

Zach Johnson (29)

Stuart Appleby (34)

Rocco Mediate (45)

Jeff Quinney (48)

J.B. Holmes (49)

Ryuji Imada (50)

* Defending champion

Others