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By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

No one is around today to attest to the excitement surrounding the first British Open championship in 1860. Whether the feeling of anticipation is similar for the inaugural AT&T National no one can say, but the quality of the fields and the reputation of the venue are of a similar rank.

Tiger Woods is playing his first event since tying for second at the U.S. Open. (WireImage)

Chances are, however, there will be a bit more media coverage dedicated to this week's event in suburban Washington, D.C., than there was to the boys at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland.

Venerable Congressional Country Club is the host site. Golf's No. 1-ranked player, Tiger Woods, is the host icon. Add a collection of some of the game's best players, and you have a recipe for a smashing golf tournament.

The PGA TOUR's newest invitational has that feel of an instant classic. The tournament, which replaced The INTERNATIONAL on the TOUR schedule, features a field of 120 players competing for $6 million, with $1.08 million awarded to the champion.

Woods and four others among the top six in the world rankings -- Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott and Vijay Singh -- headline the competitive roster, which also includes 15 tournament winners this year on the PGA TOUR and nine of the top 12 on the money list and FedExCup points list.

Tournament proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. The tournament also is a vehicle for Woods to salute U.S. military men and women.

"This tournament is very special to me, and I am grateful the event is receiving tremendous support from the local community, my fellow PGA TOUR players and all the members and staff of Congressional Country Club," Woods, who will play his first event after becoming a father, said. "It is extremely special to be hosting an event here over July 4th week, and I'm looking forward to a great tournament that raises funds and awareness for the millions of kids my Foundation serves."

The AT&T National is the 12th PGA TOUR event held at historic Congressional, which most recently served as a one-year home for the Booz Allen Classic in 2005. Congressional hosted the 1964 and 1997 U.S. Open championships, the 1976 PGA Championship and was home to the Kemper Open from 1980-86.

In honor of his late father, Earl, Woods plans special touches all in honor of America's defense forces. Most notable is the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am on Wednesday. Woods' father, who died last year, was a Lieutenant Colonel Green Beret with Special Forces in Vietnam. Woods, winner of 57 PGA TOUR titles, including 12 major championships, will be joined at a special ceremony in which America's 41st President, George H.W. Bush, will hit the ceremonial first tee shot. During the pro-am, 52 non-uniformed active military personnel will caddie for TOUR players on hole No. 7.

The military will also receive additional considerations, including 5,000 complimentary tickets per day and special seating and concessions. Wounded soldiers from Walter Reed Army and Bethesda Naval Hospitals will serve as special guests of the AT&T National beginning Wednesday and throughout tournament week. While on course, all wounded soldiers will be provided with special accommodations and hospitality along with dedicated hosts.

"It's very important to me that this tournament honor the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces," Woods said. "They put their lives on the line so that we are able to enjoy our freedom, and we'd love for them to come out and enjoy a few days of relaxation."

Worth knowing: Woods will have his hands full this week, because it's not easy being the host of a PGA TOUR event. Byron Nelson never got a chance to win the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, which was named in his honor in 1968.

Arnold Palmer never finished higher than joint 24th in the event he began hosting in 1979 at his Bay Hill Club and Lodge and which this year was renamed the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Then there's Jack Nicklaus, who twice won his own Memorial Tournament, including the second edition in 1977.

The Golden Bear has often referred to that win as one of the most difficult and satisfying of his career.

Fred Funk coached golf at nearby University of Maryland in the 1980s. (WireImage)

There's only seven weeks left for players to secure positions in the first-ever PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, and it's never too late to make a move. Hunter Mahan moved up 70 spots to 19th after his victory at the Travelers Championship, while U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera moved from 155th to 26th. Woody Austin's victory at the Stanford St. Jude Championship lifted him 116 places.

Fred Funk, a Takoma Park, Md., native who was the golf coach at the University of Maryland from 1982-88, is one of a few entrants in the AT&T National with regional ties.

Olin Browne was born in Washington, D.C., while rookie Steven Marino won the 1999 Virginia State Amateur before graduating from the University of Virginia in 2002.

Chad Campbell's tie for 15th at Travelers Championship was significant for the fact that he shot four rounds of par or better for the first time this year. He shot a 65 at Congressional on the way to a tie for 13th in the '05 Booz Allen Classic.

Adam Scott is your standard obvious favorite of the week -- after the Woods guy, of course. The young Aussie, No. 4 in the world, won the 2004 Booz Allen Classic at TPC Avenal and then nearly defended successfully in '05 at Congressional, finishing in a tie for second with Ben Crane and Davis Love III, two strokes behind Sergio Garcia, who is not in the field.

Ernie Els, who won the U.S. Open at Congressional in 1997, isn't coming back to the U.S., preferring to stay near his home in Wentworth to rest and prepare for the British Open later this month in Carnoustie, Scotland. Interestingly, only four of the top 18 finishers from that Open are playing this week: Furyk, Love, Jeff Maggert and Olin Browne.

After 10 days resting and his sore left wrist, Phil Mickelson decided to enter the AT&T National before he heads to Scotland to play in the Scottish Open and the British Open. "Two specialists looked at it and . . . both feel I'm ready to go back and play at 100 percent effort," Mickelson said on his website, philmickelson.com. "Even though there will be some discomfort for awhile, they don't believe it will flare up into the type of pain I had at The Memorial."

TOUR Insider's power ranking for the AT&T National:
1. Adam Scott
2. Rory Sabbatini
3. Aaron Baddeley
4. Tiger Woods
5. Olin Browne