Slightly Weaker Field Should Be a One-Time Aberration for AT&T National

Masters Champ Immelman Heads Solid Group of Players

How easy it would be to say that just as Congressional Country Club was preparing to host Tiger Woods' signature PGA Tour event this week, the Kemper Open decided to show up?

How easy, but how unfair.

You remember the Kemper (a k a the Booz Allen Classic and the FBR Capital Open), right? It was staged mostly at the old TPC at Avenel (now re-named the TPC Potomac), just around the corner from Congressional. Woods never played there, from the time he turned pro in 1996 until the tournament went belly up two years ago. And once it moved from Congressional to Avenel in 1987, many of the game's top names stayed away in droves.

That would appear to be the case at this week's AT&T National, as well, with only five of the world's top 20 players entered among the 120 players in a $6 million invitational event. Woods, who underwent surgery last Tuesday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, may not even show up -- he needs doctor's approval to travel here from Orlando for a day or two of schmoozing, glad-handing and trophy presenting.

Still, any resemblance between the field this week and the fields Washingtonians got so used to for so many years is purely coincidental, and almost certainly an aberration. Going forward and barring further injury, Woods always will play in his own event, guaranteeing that the world's top player will be on the property, playing 72 holes and intimately involved as long as he's still able to swing a golf club .

When Woods plays, he has enough juice to twist an arm here, call in a favor there and convince some of the game's bigger names to show. And, by the way, it's not as if this week's event lacks star power completely, even if only one top-10 player will tee off Thursday.

Steve Stricker, No. 8 in the rankings and a former Kemper Open champion, is not going to move the charisma needle, but there are plenty of other big names coming to town who just might.

Fred Couples, who won his first event as a pro at the '82 Kemper Open at Congressional, still makes many of his female followers swoon and his male fans marvel at his effortless swing. And the younger crowd should also be quite content to watch 20something heartthrobs like Camillo Villegas, he of the skin-tight golfing togs and the bulging biceps, and Brandt Snedeker, who made a stir as he tied for third at the Masters in April.

You want major champions? How about Trevor Immelman, who won the Masters ahead of Snedeker, Woods and Stewart Cink? Or Jim Furyk, Tiger's pal and frequent Ryder and Presidents Cup partner -- not to mention a U.S. Open champion. He also has the distinction of being the only man in the field who finished in the top 10 at the '97 Open at Congressional as well as last year's inaugural AT&T event.

Furyk also has a familiar face as a caddy. That would be Mike "Fluff" Cowan, who gained fame as Woods's caddie when young Tiger first turned pro. Fluff is also a dues-paying member of Congressional.

How did that happen? One day during the '97 Open at the Bethesda course, Cowan was waiting outside the scoring area on the Congressional pool deck while Woods signed his card. That year, only club members were allowed access to that area to get autographs from their favorite players.

A 20something female member of the club asked Fluff if he wouldn't mind having his picture taken with her. Gentleman that he's always been, he agreed, of course, and they quickly struck up a conversation. One chat led to another, and Fluff eventually married the girl and moved to Rockville, where he lives now with his wife and their daughter. He plays Congressional every chance he gets.

I'm picking Furyk to win this week, just because of all that local knowledge inside his caddie's head, not to mention Furyk's track record on the course. Also, Congressional will be set up U.S. Open style, meaning Furyk's accuracy off the tee and deft putting touch should provide a big edge.

There will be plenty more familiar names inside the ropes, as well. Rocco Mediate is in the field two weeks after nearly beating Woods in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Rocco may have lost after 91 holes, but he's been a huge winner in terms of increased visibility and marketing appeal. Sponsors are apparently beating down his door to pitch their products and wear their logos now. You've seen him -- he's the guy with a perpetual smile on his face, for all the obvious reasons.

By the way, the price is certainly right. A one-day ticket costs $25, and military men and women get in free, with additional discounts at the merchandise and concession stands. And all the proceeds go to many good causes, chief among them Woods's foundation, which soon will announce the site for a new learning center in the Washington area.

Other than the fact that Woods can't play this week, the only other significant downside involves the previously mentioned TPC Potomac, currently undergoing a $25 million course and clubhouse renovation. Woods said three weeks ago that when he came back to town for his tournament, he would try to visit the venue to see if it has potential as an occasional future site for his event.

His tournament already has a contract to return to Congressional in 2009, but must find another course for 2010 and 2011, while the club prepares to host the 2011 U.S. Open.

Woods and his people have been considering other sites in the Washington market and out of town, but at least in 2010, it certainly makes sense for him to think seriously about the newly renovated TPC Potomac. He's made it clear he wants his tournament at Congressional forever, but he might also consider the TPC course as a change of pace every three or four years if club members decide they'd prefer not to host his event every year.

Conventional wisdom has it that Woods wants his signature tournament staged on a classic golf course suitable for major championship competition. But the newly renovated TPC clearly is no longer the dog track it once was, and if Tiger does visit, he might even be a little surprised at its potential to host his event once in a while.

The guess is, Woods and his staff likely will wait until the course opens for play later this year and the reviews start coming in from other tour players. If they like it, and more important, if it passes his own test, Woods may be swayed to give it a shot in 2010.

But that's a long way off. For now, it's time to focus on the 2008 AT&T National starting on Thursday. We'll probably know by Monday afternoon, when Woods has scheduled a teleconference with reporters, whether he plans to show up this week.

Even if his doctors tell him to stay off the knee and stay home, Washington golf fans nevertheless still would be wise to make their way out River Road to watch a first-rate tournament on a world-class venue that should never, ever be mentioned in the same breath as the old Kemper.

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at Len.Shapiro@washingtonpost.com.