An Experience Not to Be Missed

Play hooky. Call in sick. Blow up your plans. But whatever you do, come to Tiger Woods's golf tournament at Congressional Country Club starting today. This event, with the best golfer who ever lived, with five of the top six players in the world on one of the most magnificent courses in America, may be this town's best sports value of my lifetime.

The best seat in the house -- which, in the case of golf, is every seat -- is $20 today and tomorrow, $25 on the weekend. And parking is free. You don't get a few hours of entertainment. You get a whole day of sport and people-watching as you stroll on gorgeous wooded parklands or sit in shaded grandstands. Parking lots are open for 14 hours. It's an absolute steal.

Actually, Tiger's tickets are even cheaper than that. Woods said he wanted to make sure his event was affordable and he kept his word. A full week's pass is $65. That's $16.25 a day with two practice rounds thrown in free. Compare that with any other major pro event. The crummy Nats charge that same $65 for a top box seat at decrepit RFK. The Redskins make season ticket holders buy a full-price preseason package, then charge as much to park, $25, as Tiger does to watch Sunday's final round.

Golf has the image of being exclusive, clubby and expensive. That's certainly not the case this week. Tiger wants everyone to come to his party, watch him play, honor the U.S. military and thus contribute to his charitable foundation. You can't get behind any of that? Even the weather may cooperate: warm but not sweltering with plenty of sun.

Because both Tiger and Phil Mickelson declared last week that they'd definitely play, people have asked me, "Is Tiger's event sold out?" Golf tournaments don't sell out. Okay, the Masters. But not weekly PGA Tour events, even the best. Congressional is bigger than Delaware. You could lose 50,000 people on the place. Just show up and buy a ticket. There's so much room that Tiger has given away 30,000 tickets to military personnel -- 6,000 per day starting yesterday. Even if you've never touched a golf club, you'll fit in at this event. The woman next to you can probably assemble a machine gun blindfolded.

"The community has certainly embraced this event, and people are excited to come out," Woods said. "There's been a lot of buzz and we have a great field on a fantastic course."

Why does Woods care so much that his tournament be inclusive, not exclusive in tone? In part, the public may misperceive Woods's roots and his values. They see his Stanford education, his national TV appearance at age 2, his Sportsman of the Year cover at 21 and his incredible wealth at age 31. That's all true. We can't even get away with that am-I-ripped-or-what red shirt he wore at the U.S. Open. He's not a regular guy. But he understands regular, appreciates it and was raised around it.

"I basically grew up on a military base. My father was in the military for just over 20 years, a Green Beret for 12," Woods said this week. "All those years, if you're around it, you understand the level of commitment. I know I can't serve with them, but I just want to say thank you some way. This is our way.

"Growing up, I played a lot of military facilities. For one, they were cheaper, and I could get on as a dependent. I had a little card so I could get on the golf course. Only one thing was frustrating. A lot of the bases had an age limit of 10. I thought could I play before that. But the military is very strict."

Some kids can't wait for a special birthday that allows them to get a driver's license. Tiger couldn't wait for age 10 to play all the golf he wanted for free.

Woods is, without doubt, the most guardedly private superstar in the history of American sports. Nobody of remotely comparable fame has kept so much of himself exclusively to himself. For a decade he has lived in a quasi-presidential bubble. That decision has been made partly out of self-defense in an age obsessed with celebrity scrutiny and envy. But Woods hasn't always been out of touch with everyday life. His approach to his own event demonstrates it.

Tiger's arrival, and his generous style as host, is an appropriate reward for Washington area fans. For 27 years, this area has supported the tour far beyond the merits of the product it was generally offered. When events were held at Congressional, the public was well served. But far too often at TPC at Avenel, the golf circuit knew a flock of pigeons when it spotted them. If you weren't watching little-known players on a mundane course while, somewhere in a distant unpaved "parking lot," your car sank to its axle in the mud, you weren't really getting the full golf experience.