With John Wall and Stephen Strasburg dominating the Washington D.C. and national sports headlines, many locals may not have noticed that this year's AT&T National has relocated from the nation's capital to outside of Philadelphia for the next two years. The tournament, which has been held on the Fourth of July weekend at Congressional Country Club every year since its inception in 2007, will be played just outside Philadelphia at Aronimink Golf Club this summer and next as Congressional undergoes renovations to prepare for the 2011 US Open.
Aronimink, a course most players on the PGA Tour are unfamiliar with, has a strong history, having hosted the 1962 PGA Championship -- Gary Player's second of his nine major championships. The course last hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2003. The only player on the Tour who seems to be overly familiar with it is Sean O'Hair -- a Philadelphia area native and member of Aronimink.
Tiger Woods, the annual host of the tournament, held a press conference on Tuesday morning. Here's what he had to say about the course:
"A lot of my friends have played the golf course and the golf course is in phenomenal shape. It's going to be a great week . . . The greens are still pretty firm. The rough is up, as it should be. This is a golf course that has hosted major championships."
Tiger will be teeing off on Thursday at 12:56 pm in a group with Davis Love III and Dustin Johnson.
Check out the PGA Tour's official website for a complete list of pairings and tee times. Also take a peek at the AT&T National's official website for a schedule of events, including the Pro-Am on Wednesday.