Feinstein: "How the PGA Tour's D.C. stop went from can't miss to out of business"

Golf World's John Feinstein looks at the rise and fall of Washington D.C.'s PGA Tour stop, conducting the final edition this week at TPC Potomac At Avenel Farm (FKA TPC Avenel).

While Feinstein is a bit tough on Tiger as host and notes the loss of Quicken Loans as the most fatal component of the tournament's demise, the story points out how the event suffered identity issues when it lost Congressional as a regular host. 

In the tournament’s swansong, Woods will play this week, his lone expected start after a missed cut at the U.S. Open and before heading to the Open Championship at Carnoustie. One might have thought his apparent return to health could inspire a sponsor to jump in and take a chance on Washington, but Woods didn’t seem to really care very much if that happened. His foundation is now the beneficiary of the annual PGA Tour event played at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles.

The L.A. event has the kind of stability never established in Washington. It has been played at Riviera for 44 of the last 46 years, as opposed to the D.C. event which will have been held at four golf courses in 13 years, none for more than three consecutive years. 

Also noteworthy here is the influence this event had on Chicago's annual stop, which previously held the July 4 date before being shifted to a playoff stop moved around to different venues, several outside of Chicago. The July 4 date is currently Greenbrier's. 

The story is a prime example of quickly a tournament's fortunes can turn on quality of course, consistency of location and the identity an event derives from a regular host venue and date.