Tiger takes charge
BETHESDA, Md. — The last time we saw Phil Mickelson, he had missed the cut in the U.S. Open, was clutching his injured left wrist, and could not wait to put Oakmont Country Club in his rearview mirror.
Three weeks later, the wrist is better and Mickelson is smiling again, healthy and happy to be in the nation's capital for the Fourth of July and the AT&T National, a new tournament hosted by his archrival, Tiger Woods.
"It's OK," Mickelson said of his wrist Wednesday after a practice round at Congressional Country Club, nestled in one of Washington's posh suburbs. "Not quite 100 percent, but it will be all right."
Unless he wins, however, Mickelson could find himself a bit player this week. Center stage belongs to Woods, even more than usual.
This is the first tournament for Woods since he rushed home to Orlando, Fla., after the U.S. Open, barely arriving in time for the birth of his daughter, Sam Alexis.
In his pre-tournament news conference, Woods answered the pressing question of how he and his wife, Elin, came up with the name of Sam — not Samantha, but just Sam.
"My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born," Woods explained. "He rarely ever called me Tiger. I would ask him, 'Why don't you ever call me Tiger?'
"He says, 'Well, you look more like a Sam,'" Woods said. "I said, `All right, that's cool.' "
Like most parents, the 31-year-old Woods and his wife spent the first night staring at their creation, wondering how they could love something so much that didn't exist the day before.
"We never experienced anything like that," Woods said.
Woods, who has welcomed daddy duty, changing diapers and the like, also said it was not easy leaving wife and baby behind.
"Last night, my first night away from home, and I had to wake up basically every 45 minutes," said Woods, always an early-to-bed, early-to-rise guy. "It was, OK, no, go back to sleep."
In addition to his fatherhood, this is a big week for Woods because the full name of the tournament is the AT&T National Hosted by Tiger Woods.
Like a mere handful of greats before him — Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus — Woods has grown his legend to the point of hosting a full-blown PGA Tour tournament. That is huge, especially considering that Woods (57 wins, 12 major titles) is not only still an active player but very much in his prime.
"You only have a few players — maybe one per generation — that carry with them the import and impact of a Palmer or Nicklaus," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said this week. "And we think that's the situation here, given what Tiger has achieved in his first 11 years out here."
Because of the host (Woods), the week (July 4), the city (Washington) and the venue (site of two U.S. Opens, one PGA Championship), plus the relatively elite field (120 invitees), the AT&T National could establish itself as one of the few preeminent events among the nonmajors.
Five of the top six players in the world are here. Besides Ernie Els, the most conspicuous absentees are top Europeans Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington and Henrik Stenson, who are at the K Club in Ireland for a European Tour event that has become something of an unofficial celebration of last year's Ryder Cup victory there.
