Woods's School Chum, Beset by Injuries, Tries to Get Back on Course

The gallery trailing Tiger Woods kept growing yesterday morning as he played Congressional Country Club's Blue Course. And as throngs of spectators followed the AT&T National's host from tee box to green as though he were the Pied Piper, some wondered who was the other golfer with him.

Woods made his early round with his friend and former Stanford teammate Notah Begay III, who had high hopes after an impressive start to his PGA Tour career in 1999 but has been hampered by back injuries over the past six years.

"Note's one of my best friends and one of my closest friends," Woods said. "To have him here this week and to have him out here playing, especially with all the injuries he's been going through, that's been pretty neat."

Begay, 34, won two PGA Tour events as a rookie in 1999, and in 2000 he became the first full-blooded Native American to play in the Masters. But injuries derailed a promising career. A herniated disk in his back might force Begay to undergo surgery in the fall.

Before receiving a sponsor's exemption to compete in this week's tournament in Bethesda, he played in 10 events on the PGA European Tour this year, with his best finish coming in the Spanish Open, where he tied for 31st.

"Golf has become more of a job for me in the last three or four years than it is fun because I've really dealt with a tremendous amount of just physical discomfort, whether it's in long plane rides or on the golf course," Begay said.

Temporary Move?

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said yesterday that he and Tiger Woods would like to have the AT&T National played as often as possible at Congressional and that the tour was considering a number of options if the course is not available, including a possible move for a year to another market.

"I wouldn't rule it out," Finchem said at Congressional. "But I do think the [Tiger Woods] Foundation and [the PGA Tour] agree that Washington is where we want to be. If moving to another market for a year is part of the best thing for all factors, you know, possibly. But Tiger is certainly committed to Washington and wanting to be in the nation's capital and try to play here as much as possible.

"And of course that would be a big help if Congressional saw its way free to have us here frequently over the years as part of a rotation or whatever. It's something we have to sort out."

Pressed later on a possible move out of town, Finchem added: "I don't want to never say never. The focus is Washington, D.C., for the long term, but we've got to be practical. But if it were to happen, I assume it would be a" one-time arrangement.

Congressional will host the 2009 U.S. Amateur and 2011 U.S. Open, and sources at the U.S. Golf Association, which runs both events, said last week they would prefer not to have a regular Tour event at Congressional in those years.

Finchem said both TPC Avenel, site of the old Kemper Open and Booz Allen Classic from 1987 to 2004 and again in 2006, was one other possibility, along with Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville. Avenel, he said, may not be available in 2009 because a $20 million renovation of the course and clubhouse will begin this August and the course may not be ready in time.

Daly Joins Field

John Cook, who received a sponsor's exemption to compete, withdrew from the AT&T National yesterday because of an injury to his left shoulder. John Daly will replace Cook in the field after a season-best tie for 16th at the Buick Open last week. Paul Azinger has also withdrawn and will be replaced by Tim Petrovic. . . .

Pairings for the first two rounds were announced yesterday, and Woods will tee off tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. off the first tee with his friend, Charles Howell III, and Jason Bohn. On Friday, they'll start off the 10th tee at 8:25 a.m. Phil Mickelson, the No. 2 player in the world rankings, has a 7:47 a.m. time tomorrow playing with No. 4 Adam Scott of Australia and tour veteran Brad Faxon. They'll go off at 12:37 p.m. off No. 10 on Friday.