Woods looking for momentum at Aronimink
June 29, 2010
NEWTON SQUARE, Pennsylvania (AP)—The most obvious change at the AT&T Nationalis moving to Aronimink Golf Club, a tree-lined classic in the Philadelphiasuburbs that will host the tournament the next two years as Congressionalprepares for a U.S. Open.
Not so obvious is the role Tiger Woods is playing this week.
He is still the defending champion. He is no longer the host.
AT&T was the second corporate sponsor to end its endorsement deal with theworld’s No. 1 player, although not entirely. It agreed to remain as titlesponsor of the tournament, which Woods has hosted since it began in 2007. Andthe net proceeds continue to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation, which isbuilding a second learning center in the United States.
It’s an awkward relationship.
Woods no longer carries the AT&T logo on his golf bag, and he is not likelyto return to AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. But he doesn’t look at thisevent any differently than when he was handing out the trophy.
“I’ll still be part of the event and working hard behind the scenes asalways,” Woods said. “This is a great event for our foundation. We’re verylucky and very excited that AT&T wanted to still be a part of this event.”
The tournament stays. His endorsement ends.
“If you’re going to have one over the other, you choose it this way,”Woods said.
He also dismissed any notion that Woods and his caddie, Steve Williams, areat odds. There was speculation in some corners after the U.S. Open that Woodswas unhappy with his caddie when he said, “We made three mental mistakes. Theonly thing it cost us was a chance to win the U.S. Open.”
Woods and Williams have worked together since 1999, with the most famousblowup coming in the final round of the 2003 Masters when Williams recommended adriver off the par-4 third hole. Woods hit into the trees, had to play aleft-handed shot to the fairway and the two rarely spoke the rest of the day.
“There’s no tension there, not at all,” Woods said. “You guys are readingway too much into it. I was asked what happened out there, and I made threemental mistakes—three mistakes I don’t normally make. Do Stevie and I makemistakes on the golf course? Of course we do. We’re not perfect. We mademistakes at the wrong time. It happens.
“Hopefully, that won’t happen this week and we can win an event.”
This could be a big week toward deciphering whether Woods is close towinning again. He tied for fourth in the Masters, his first start in five monthswhile coping with a sex scandal, then followed that up by going consecutiveweeks without earning a check.
He tied for fourth at the U.S. Open, where he started the final round at1-under 212 and closed with a 75 to finish four shots behind. But it was theback-nine 31 on Saturday, which put him into contention, that gave Woods hope.
“That was a nice step in the right direction, because I would play two orthree good holes, then hit a bad shot and it would take the air out of what Ihad built,” Woods said. “During that stretch, I put together about 12 reallygood holes, and it’s something I hadn’t done all year. Granted, the amount ofrounds I’ve played so far this year is about what I normally play through March.
“I’m starting to head in the right direction.”
He headed out to the practice range and to see the Aronimink for the firsttime. When he was at the course in May, it was the day after he withdrew fromThe Players Championship with a sore neck.
The field is slightly better than a year ago. It includes Jim Furyk,Aronimink member Sean O’Hair, Dustin Johnson, Vijay Singh, Hunter Mahan, RickieFowler, Robert Allenby and Scott Verplank.
Several others are in Europe to fulfill membership requirements—sevenasked for conflicting-event releases—and tournament officials are finding thatthe Fourth of July date is not what it used to be.
Even so, it has Woods, who remains a star attraction. Even for a Tuesday,thousands of fans were pressed up against the iron fence around the drivingrange waiting for him to arrive. Hundreds of kids want his autograph, and Woodswas asked if takes seriously his position as a role model given his maritalturmoil.
“I certainly have made mistakes, no doubt about that,” Woods said. “Itake full ownership of them, and I think what a lot of kids can learn from thatis that you’re not always going to go through life perfect. No one does. Whenyou make a mistake, step up to the plate and take ownership of it.”
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