Air Force Base a Remote Possibility for D.C. Event

Congressional Country Club, site of U.S. Open victories by Ken Venturi and Ernie Els, remained the early favorite Tuesday. But an intriguing venue surfaced late in the day as a candidate to replace the defunct International on the PGA TOUR’s schedule the first week in July:
 
Andrews Air Force Base, in Prince Georges County, Md., has three courses on its grounds. And, according to a source close to the PGA TOUR Policy Board, Andrews was an early choice of PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.
 
But Andrews is a long, longshot because of the national security concerns at the base and the logistical headaches that would be inherent in gaining clearance for players and spectators. It's more interesting as a thought than it is as a reality.
 
Finchem would not confirm a site Tuesday. And Ty Votaw, the TOUR’s Executive Vice-President of Communications and International Affairs, told the GOLF CHANNEL that a course may not even be announced next Wednesday in a scheduled press conference, at which time the new event’s title sponsor will officially be revealed.
 
The three courses at Andrews would allow space for the parking and tent infrastructure needed to run a PGA TOUR event. And Finchem, a former Beltway insider, is certainly aware of the upside for all parties involved in bringing his TOUR to the nation’s capitol on the Fourth of July in a patriotic setting.
 
One of those parties is the Tiger Woods Foundation, which was announced as the as-yet-unnamed event’s host organization and primary charitable beneficiary. Needless to say, a PGA TOUR event affiliated with the Tiger Woods Foundation can expect to have Woods in its field.
 
Not having Woods in his field on a regular basis was one of the reasons Jack Vickers, founder of The International, said he had to shut down his Colorado-based tournament earlier this month.
 
Vickers’ event featured the distinctive Modified Stableford scoring system. When asked, Votaw said there had been no discussions about keeping the Stableford system for the new tournament.
 
The press release announcing the alliance between the PGA TOUR and the Tiger Woods Foundation described their new relationship as a “long-term agreement.”
 
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