Hobbling Tiger will be at Aronimink, just not on the links

When the PGA Tour finally made its return to the Philadelphia area in 2000 after a two-decade hiatus, the first/only thing that anyone wanted to ask SEI Pennsylvania Classic tournament director Joe Rotellini was whether there were cheesesteaks in Tiger Woods' future.

Turns out, there were not. And the tourney, which also had a tough-to-sell September date, suffered accordingly. After two mostly forgettable tries (sandwiched around one in the western part of the state), it relocated to the Pittsburgh area for good.

Woods never made it out there, either.

That was the height of Tigermania. Woods hasn't won a tournament since November 2009. And he's only played nine holes since injuring his left knee and Achilles' while nearly winning the Masters in April.

But he still moves the dial. So the good news for local fans is, he'll once again be at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square for the AT&T National, which tees off on Thursday. The problem is that he won't be playing. He's making a supporting pre-tourney appearance because the event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundations. He used to be the official host, until AT&T opted not to continue as one of his sponsors after his personal issues became public fodder.

He wasn't a factor a year ago, when he tied for 46th. Yet his presence made all the difference. And then some. The galleries were deep. They mostly came for a singular reason: to catch a glimpse of his every step. He'd never played here before. Even if he had, the response would've been the same.

That's the way this icon stuff operates.

Which brings us to this year, the last time the AT&T will be held here before returning to its original home, Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., which just hosted the U.S. Open and where Woods won in 2009. Obviously, it won't be the same without Tiger. Or, for that matter, at least some of the many internationals near the top of the world rankings who are busy getting ready for the British Open in a couple of weeks. That's life. And the schedule. Rory McIlroy isn't playing in many regular stops in this country. That didn't stop a lot of folks from asking, just in case.

There are six out of the top 25 in the field: Nick Watney (No. 15); K.J. Choi (16), who in May won the Players Championship; West Chester-born Jim Furyk (19), who hosted the Exelon Invitational in this area for a decade; Hunter Mahan (20); Adam Scott (21), who has Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, on his bag while Tiger is out; and three-time major winner Ernie Els (23).

Woods, by the way, is 17th.

And there are 11 from the top 25 of the PGA money list: Choi (2); Watney (4); Mark Wilson (8), who won twice early in the season; Gary Woodland (12), who has a first and a second; Webb Simpson (16); Mahan (18); Frederik Jacobson (20), who yesterday won his first PGA title at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.; Keegan Bradley (22); Steve Marino (23); Bill Haas (24) and D.A. Points (25).

Not all of them are household commodities. It would probably have helped if a Bubba Watson or Dustin Johnson or Jason Day had signed up. Getting Phil Mickelson was asking too much.

But England's Justin Rose, a name and the defending champion, is back. So is 2010 runner-up Ryan Moore, who closed with a 65 to get within one shot and is coming off a near-win at the Travelers. Patrick Cantlay, the highest-ranked amateur in the country, tied for 21st at the Open and was 15th at the Travelers. Robert Garrigus and Kevin Chappell were low Americans at Congressional, tying for third with Lee Westwood and Y.E. Yang. Ricky Fowler, a stud at the 2009 Walker Cup matches at Merion who made a memorable putt that almost saved the United States at last year's Ryder Cup, appeals to the 20-something crowd with his game and attire. Anthony Kim was considered one of the best young talents not too long ago, and he won the AT&T in 2008.

So, there's plenty of storylines. It's just that the storyline is missing. That's nobody's fault. And there's nothing anyone can do except try to appreciate the guys who are here.

Philly doesn't usually warm up to anything it views as a less-than-big-time product. Yet that's what many regular PGA Tour events are. Star quality can't always equate to Tiger or Phil or Rory. The U.S. Open will be back at Merion in 2013, for the first time in 32 years. After that, who knows? If that major goes well, there's every chance it could return. Yet that likely wouldn't happen until the late 2020s. Aronimink wants to host a major itself. But the earliest that could probably take place is another decade from now.

So embrace the AT&T for everything it is, instead of the elements that are missing. You never can tell when we'll have that next photo op to call our very own.