NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania - World golf No 1 Tiger Woods will look to build some momentum ahead of the British Open when he defends his AT&T National title, starting tomorrow.

The tournament falls between two of the biggest events on Woods' golfing calendar - the US Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St Andrews, his favourite course in the world.

Woods tied for fourth at the US Open last week with a spotty performance. He matched a tournament-low 66 in the third round to get into contention, only to close with a 75.

Even so, it was his best week since he tied for fourth at the Masters.

"Things are starting to come around, which is nice to see," Woods said.

"It's just a matter of getting more and more consistent with what I'm working on and putting together better rounds."

His game remains something of a mystery. Another mystery is the course.

The AT&T National, where Woods no longer is the official host, is taking a two-year hiatus from Congressional Country Club, which is preparing to host the US Open next year.

It found a welcome vacation home in Aronimink, which originally was designed by Donald Ross and once hosted premier championships. This is where Gary Player won his first PGA Championship in 1962, by one shot over Bob Goalby.

Aronimink was supposed to hold the PGA Championship in 1993 until the Shoal Creek episode led the PGA of America to demand its golf courses have minority members. Aronimink, which had an all-white membership, gave up the chance to host another major. It did not have a black member until 1998, and now the club says it has multiple minority and female members.

It is a course with sharp changes in elevation and bends in the fairways, relatively large greens and minimal water. It is not a classic Ross course from redesigns over the years, yet it has a storied history.

And while the rough has been minimal on the PGA Tour this year, especially with the shallow grooves now required, this rough is nearly as thick as players found two weeks ago at Pebble Beach.

"I'm probably taken back by its difficulty," said Jim Furyk, who played junior golf in the Philadelphia area. "I think it's a very tough golf course. It's tough to get the ball in the fairways. They're pitched at a lot of angles. You have to work the ball well off the tee. The greens are very big, but are cut up into smaller sections. There's a lot of slope, a lot of undulation, and they're already quite firm."

Walking down the fairway on the 605-yard ninth hole during his pro-am round Wednesday, Woods wondered aloud what kind of score it would take to win. The forecast is for sunshine throughout the week, and without wind, any course is vulnerable. He also noticed, however, that the greens already were firm enough for the ball to bounce instead of sticking where it lands.