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The most exciting thing to land on the fairways at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda Wednesday were U.S. Army soldiers.

Members of the 101st Airborne Division jumped from a helicopter over the course and landed on the first hole, to the applause of thousands during the opening ceremonies of the AT&T National Tournament.

Although the competitive part of the tournament doesn't begin until Thursday, the crowds turned out in force for the pro-am portion of the event Wednesday. It began at 6:30 a.m. when Tiger Woods, the event's host, teed off and was joined by other professional golfers and local celebrity amateurs.

"He gives a lot of excitement to the whole tournament," said Congressional member Howard Bell.

Under a classic summer blue sky, visitors packed the club to see their favorite golfers, including Woods, who skipped last year's AT&T National due to injury. While Woods never leaves the spotlight at any tournament, he had some help Wednesday, especially from the U.S. military, which received special recognition from Woods and the tournament.

The opening ceremonies began at the first hole at about 11:15 a.m., with people lining up for over 100 yards beyond the tee to witness the spectacle. After drill and music performances by the U.S. Navy and Virginia Military Institute, respectively, master of ceremonies Leon Harris of WJLA TV jokingly saluted "the biggest act of bravery" in the tournament by pointing out Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in the stands. Romo was roundly booed by the local crowd, although cheers quickly erupted for Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell and receiver Antwaan Randle-El, also in attendance.

After Romo's girlfriend, entertainer Jessica Simpson, belted out "The Star Spangled Banner," the highlight of the ceremony came when parachute demonstrators from the 101st leapt from thousands of feet above the crowd in a helicopter.

Each one of the parachutists landed perfectly on the first fairway, with the last one trailing a 200-square-foot American flag behind him that tournament staff hustled to keep from touching the ground once he landed. This feat earned the loudest applause of the day.

"It was fabulous," said Ivory Hankerson from Metuchen, N.J., who was visiting a daughter in Maryland and wanted to watch Woods. "The best part was the parachute."

As the crowd filed past him shouting "Great job" and "I could watch it over and over again," one of the jumpers, Sgt. Adam Sniffen, spoke about the weather being "a great day for jumping" and getting his picture taken with Woods and some wounded U.S. soldiers.

"It's going to get framed and stay in my house," he said.

After the parachute demonstration, Woods spoke of his visit to Water Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and told the crowd, "It was amazing to see their attitude, their strength, their resolve." To cap off the ceremonies, Woods hit synchronized opening tee shots with injured U.S. soldiers Maj. Ken Dwyer and Staff Sgt. Ramon Padilla.

"It's Tiger Woods and his willingness to remind us all about those kids over there risking so much, and not always appreciated," said Jim Williamson of Rockville, a tournament ambassador and retired from the Navy, on why the event was special.

Jay O'Flahaven, who came from Sterling, Va., to the tournament with his sons Matthew and Jake, said he loved everything about the ceremony, except for the vocals.

"We walked up when Jessica (Simpson) was singing," O'Flahaven said. "They've got to get somebody else to do that. She was only here because Tony (Romo) was here."

Raj Srinivasan, visiting the tournament Wednesday with his son Shyam from Ashburn, Va., called Simpson's effort "interesting." Shyam, meanwhile, liked the opening shots struck by Woods, Dwyer and Padilla. Father and son showed up at 6:45 a.m. and got to watch Woods up close and personal in the gallery during the pro-am event.

"There were 40 people surrounding the ball, but none of that bothered him, he was so focused," Raj Srinivasan said.

Srinivasan said shuttle service was slower than he expected, while O'Flahaven said he parked at a house along Bradley Boulevard because he thought that the shuttle service from satellite parking lots would be slower without competitive tournament action going on.

Marcio Davenport, 13, of Rockville, was one of nine kids in attendance with Jeanne Johnson through Tiger's Action Plan, a program run by the YMCA and funded by the Tiger Woods Foundation that teaches young people about self-esteem, respect and career goals. He, too, was energized by the spectacle of the tournament and the ceremony, even though he had never played a regular round of golf before.

"I want to try it, play against Tiger Woods," he said, laughing.