Brennan's Caddy Report-ATT Championship

After a couple very fun weeks off it's time to get back to work and get into the heart of the season.  With the major part of the schedule upon us it is time to get into the swing of things and see what we can do for the next few months.  For the past month Mike has really shown some improvement in his game and I know he is looking forward to this stretch of golf.  I know he had a much busier schedule than I did over the past two weeks with the Skins Game and his charity function in Saskatoon.  With the AT&T Championship starting things off it should be an exciting few months with the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs right around the corner.
 
It is going to be very interesting for the rest of the year; seeing how things play out without Tiger in the field.  I know that he says he is gone for the year but I will believe that when I see it.  I think it will give a lot of guys a chance to really step up and elevate their game to the next level.  The Fed Ex Cup Playoffs are going to be very exciting and who knows, there may be a surprise winner this year.  It will also be interesting to see how the schedules of some of the top players play out; whether or not they play a few more events trying to win the Cup and the $10 Million that goes along with it.
 
The AT&T Championship hosted by Tiger is once again played at Congressional Country Club, which is one of the best courses we play all year.  A good old fashion golf course that you would expect to see from a course that has hosted several major championships.  The course really forces you to use all your clubs and to hit all kinds of different shots. It has a lot of length and there is some significant rough.  Overall it is very fair and requires you to excel in all facets of your game.  The course hasn't changed at all from last year when KJ won at -8 as I recall.
 
The condition of the course is excellent as always; the fairways are perfect and the greens are as good as can be expected for the type of grass that they have.  There has been a fair bit of rain over the past few days so the course is quite soft right now.  I hope that with the warm weather and a bit of wind it will firm up and play a little faster.  I think Mike always plays better when the conditions are tougher so I like to see courses play firm and fast.  The rough isn't quite as long as it has been in years past which should make things a bit easier but it is still penal enough that you want to stay out of it.
 
Congressional Country Club was one of the few courses that hosted a major championship that finished with a par 3.  That is no longer the case as last year they did a little work on the course and old number 18 was taken away and a new number 10 was added.  Therefore 10 is now a new par 3 and last hole is the old 17 which is a great par 4 with water guarding the green.  Therefore the last hole is now a par 4 and not a par 3 which is too bad in my mind.  I like to see unique course layouts and have a little variety in the courses but I guess that isn't what the membership wanted hence the changes.  The only other change last year was #6 which was moved up a tee and is played as a 520 yard par 4 instead of a par 5.  I don't really like this change either as the green is more suited for a shorter iron, and thus if you were going to go for it there was a lot of risk.  Now guys are hitting longer irons into a green that isn't very receptive.  I don't have any problems with guys making eagles and birdies which adds excitement to the event, but that is not what they chose to do here.  Aside from those two changes which were made before the event last year I think it's a great course and a very good challenge.
 
This being the week of July 4th in the States what better place than Washington, DC  to watch the celebration and the fireworks.  They always seem to put on one of the best fireworks displays in the country and there are all kinds of bands and activities going on by the White House.  There are hundreds of thousands of people that come for this event so I have been lucky to see it the past few years and I'm looking forward to it once again this year.  The other thing I love about this area is seeing everyone dressed in Washington Redskin apparel.  Growing up a Skins fan I have always loved them and it is great to see so many people dressed in Skins colors.  I always make a point to see Ben Curtis this week.  Ben has a deal with the NFL and wears the local team's colors at each event.  He usually sneaks in a day or two of the Baltimore Ravens but wears Redskin stuff the rest of the week.  I wonder if Ben plays the Canadian Open if we can get him to wear some CFL gear?
 
I hope we can get things kicked off here this week and continue to build momentum for the next few months.  I think Mike is really confident with his game and feels that he is ready to get another victory.  With the British Open up in a few weeks followed by the Canadian Open it is a very important and fun time of the year!

Thanks for reading!