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By Tiger Woods
Special to PGATOUR.com

Obviously, this is a pretty special week for me and the Tiger Woods Foundation. We are announcing the formation of a new PGA TOUR event called the AT&T National in Washington, D.C., during Fourth of July Week, and I'm honored my foundation will be a part of it. Back in 1997, when we first started the Foundation, it was a goal of my father and I to host a PGA TOUR event. I just wish he could have been here to see it.

Commissioner Tim Finchem and his staff have done an amazing job of pulling this tournament together so quickly. When they approached us about this opportunity several weeks ago, we really didn't know if it was possible. But once the dialogue started and we spoke to Ed Whitacre and AT&T, we realized we had solid backing and could make this dream a reality. This is a wonderful addition to my Foundation's existing relationships with Deutsche Bank (Deutsche Bank Championship) and Target (Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide). My thanks to all three for being such good partners.

We hope to play the tournament at Congressional Country Club. So far, our discussions have been very positive. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

As for me playing this year, I'm planning to compete. A lot will depend on the birth of my first child, which obviously takes priority. But right now, my intent is to play.

I'm excited to celebrate July 4th in our nation's capital, and even more thrilled this tournament will help raise long-term funds and awareness for my Foundation. It was almost a no-brainer because of my father's military background and his work with the special forces. My goal has always been to create great citizens through education, character development and career exploration. Then we ask them to return the favor to others. I'm proud to say that during our first year at the new Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, Calif., more than 8,000 kids participated in the program. Overall, the Foundation has touched the lives of more than 10 million kids.

We plan to expand the Tiger Woods Foundation and are currently evaluating how we can best serve the Washington area. Specifically, we hope to bring the Tiger Woods Learning Center to the region. The Learning Center in Anaheim was built after extensive community research and we will follow a similar plan for the Washington area. Our hope is to impact the lives of future generations in a positive way.

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