Woods looks forward to Congressional

Golf:Tiger Woods said his role as host of this week's €4.2million AT&T National provided an added incentive to finish top of the leaderboard at Congressional Country Club.

"It is fun winning your own event," the 33-year-old world number one said. "No doubt. It is awfully fun to do that."

Woods headlines a 120-player field at pristine Congressional, the par 70 venue of the 2011 US Open that measures 7,255-yards.

Among those also entered this week are newly crowned US Open champion Lucas Glover, 2008 AT&T winner Anthony Kim, world number three Paul Casey and triple major winner Vijay Singh.

World number five Sergio Garcia and three-times major champion Pádraig Harrington will sit out the AT&T, preparing instead for this month's British Open by playing this week's French Open before defending his Irish PGA title at The European Club rather than compete in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond next week.

Woods, still searching for his first major of the year, sat out the 2008 AT&T while he recuperated from knee surgery.

"Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend last year," he said. "I was at home watching it on the couch, and it wasn't a whole lot of fun."

The 14-times major winner said he was thrilled to have his injury behind him, adding that it "feels good to wake up in the morning and not ache, not want to move out of bed."

"I went through all of that," he said. "I don't want to go through that again. It feels great to be back. What my surgeons and trainers did to get me to this point has been great.

"I feel so good getting up and doing things each and every day.

"I'm able to play with (children) Sam and carry Charlie around and do all those different things. I was really struggling with it for a while."

Woods is expected to be challenged for the €710,000 winner's prize by Kim, who won the AT&T title a year ago in a demonstrative wire-to-wire victory. Kim said the triumph "definitely elevated my confidence."

The California native, seen by many as having as much potential as anyone on the tour, said he will remain patient as he improves his game.

"I just turned 24 ten days ago," said Kim, who finished tied for 16th at the US Open at Bethpage two weeks ago. "I have no pressure from anybody. I want to play great golf. I want to win golf tournaments.

"I'm here to do that, but at the same time, I have so much to look forward to.

"I heard you don't hit your peak at golf until 31, 33 years old, so I have a long way to go.

"I have a long career ahead of me, and as long as I stay positive and keep working hard, I should be in pretty good shape."