Tiger is the talk of the peninsula

Having spent a few days in Pebble Beach earlier this week, it’s safe to say that Tiger Woods starting his PGA Tour season at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is being treated like a visit from a major foreign dignitary or maybe even from the president. Talk about Woods is everywhere in the Monterey Peninsula.

Tiger still draws a crowd (AP photo)

There are several reasons behind this. First, it is Woods’ first start of the season on the PGA Tour, even though he did play in Abu Dhabi on the European Tour two weeks ago.

Second, it is Woods’ return to the AT&T tournament, an event he had dropped from his calendar. The thinking is that while Woods played well in the AT&T event, including scoring one of the most memorable victories of his career there, Woods was never a fan of the six-hour rounds, the wet courses or playing with amateurs. Now Woods is back.

Finally, it is still Tiger Woods, who has won 14 major championships (including a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach) and 71 career PGA Tour wins. While he is clearly not the red-hot and unbeatable player he was three or four years ago, he is still the tour’s active leader in wins and majors. Woods has always been a polarizing figure, but that means people who like him or dislike him still pay attention to him.

Even if some fans have turned their backs on Woods (and that’s only some fans, not all), tournament directors understand that Woods is a draw. There was a debate on one of the sports radio shows in the area earlier this week, will more people go to see Woods or to see the other players in the field combined. The callers to the show were strongly on the “Woods is the only draw” side of things.

Woods hasn’t won on the PGA Tour in nearly two and a half years. But he remains a big drawing card for any PGA Tour event, and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is getting that impact this week.