Tiger Woods had just finished his pro-am round at Australian Masters at the 10th fairway at Kingston Health, where thousands of fans created a steady stream for came to see.

Before sunrise, some two hours before he teed off in the first round, a line of people stretched out the gates and some 150 yards down Kingston Road. Next to the ticket window was a sign unfamiliar in these parts: "Sold Out."

As much golf as he has played around the world, even Woods has been surprised by his reception during his first trip Down Under in 11 years. It has included a $600-a-plate dinner at the Crown Casino on Tuesday night, a meeting the next night with cricket star Michael Clarke and thousands of fans at every turn.

Does anyone realize Rod Pampling is the defending champion?
"My mom and dad do," he said. "My brothers don't."
Geoff Ogilvy , who grew up in Melbourne, is the only other player among the top 50 in the world at Kingston Heath. He is a former U.S. Open champion with three World Golf Championship titles, second only to Woods. Yet even if he were to win this week, the trophy might as well say, "Best Supporting Actor."

And that's OK with Ogilvy and the rest of the Australians.
"It's exciting that golf is on the front page of the newspaper again," Ogilvy said. "The fact that Tiger is here, I'm just happy that Australians and Melbourne people get to see him play. We get spoiled. In the U.S., we get to see him play quite regularly. He gets paid a lot of money to play, but he gets offered that money anywhere in the world, and he has chosen to come here."

The hope is that Woods, who received a $3 million appearance fee — will help boost interest in a tour that has dwindled over the last decade with a drop in sponsorship support, despite Melbourne's reputation as having more championship courses than any city in the world.

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