Swengali: Tourney Is Kind of a Big Deal

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Express sports columnist Matt Swenson calls 'em as he sees 'em.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE GOLF, here's some friendly advice for next week: Get out of town.

Just in case Tiger Woods' coming to town wasn't enough of a big deal, Phil Mickelson has decided to join him. So have most of the world's best players.

But this will be the Tiger and Phil show, with a side of Sam — as in Woods' new daughter.

It will be fascinating to see how Woods plays in the AT&T National given A) how little he's played since his daughter was born, B) his responsibilities as the tournament's host and oh, yeah, C) He's a father now.

D.C. is lucky enough to play host to Woods' first event since the birth. That means that it won't just be sports reporters flocking to the area to talk to Tiger. All outlets are going to want a piece of Woods — even more than usual.

To say it's going to be a media circus is a gross understatement.

And why not? This tournament is the area's marquee sports event until the Redskins' opening day.

Plus, this is just the beginning. Given Woods' distractions and Mickelson's injury, it's likely that the top two players may not even be in contention on Sunday.

A year from now could be the real treat. Tiger and Phil should be on top of their game and maybe, just maybe, we can see that Sunday duel we watch for at every major.

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images