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Tiger Woods tees off early - Source: Reuters -
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He's been moving around Melbourne like a ghost but there are clear enough signs that Tiger Woods' $A3.25 million visit Down Under will leave plenty of frayed nerves.
Despite the best efforts of those trained to track down the likes of Tom Cruise and Britney Spears, the world's most recognised sportsman gave them barely a glimpse on Monday.
From the moment his private jet touched down at Essendon Airport in the morning and he was whisked away by car to Crown Casino, Tiger Woods' plans were classified 'eyes only'.
We know Woods went to Crown because the three media helicopters tracking his car told us so.
But even those charged with promoting this week's Australian Masters at Kingston Heath, to which he will drag sell-out crowds of 20,000 a day, professed to know nothing of his schedule.
Instead they were busying themselves in frantic preparation for something that is beginning to look like a heads-of-state summit.
The media are being segregated into A and B groups and there were plans to allow photographers, who normally walk inside the crowd ropes, access only on a roster system.
Such treatment was not impressing people used to covering such major sporting events as the Olympic Games and Wimbledon close up.
Lockdown might be too strong a word but those in charge have clearly taken Woods' attendance to be an event which requires over-the-top security.
The Kingston Heath clubhouse has been ruled out of bounds except to members and there is an air of tension in the media tent.
Woods is to make his first appearance at the sand belt course on Tuesday, probably to play a practice round in the morning.
At 12 noon, the world No.1 will sit down in front of a press contingent roughly 10 times larger than that which normally appears at a top tier Australian event.
Even then its number will be curtailed because some media will have to make way in the press conference room for Victorian Premier John Brumby and his entourage, along with the contingent of those who micro-manage Woods.
Some of them on Monday were locked in a serious long-distance email conversation which involved relaying many of the contentious questions Woods is likely to face from the apparently aggressive Australian media pack.
One would have thought this less than necessary since he has answered the odd - and the very odd - question in his long reign at the top. But it's all part of paving the way for the gifted one to glide through the week without any hiccups.
There are a few things we know about Woods' movements and a few rumours which can be dispelled.
For instance, he will not travel to the bushfire-ravaged Marysville area to play a few holes before the locals. However Victorians Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby and Queenslander Adam Scott will.
But Marysville golfers Jason Stirling, 21, and Beau Simmons, 20, who lost their homes in the February bushfires, have been given a dream chance to meet Woods, along with Horsham 14-year-olds Nick Thompson and Jamie Nield.
They will be part of a private half-hour session with Woods - probably at Lloyd Williams' private Capital Golf Club - where he will chat and hand out tips on the game.
Woods will also be guest of honour at a $600-a-ticket Masters gala dinner at Crown on Tuesday night, with fellow US PGA Tour players Ogilvy, Rod Pampling and Aaron Baddeley.
On Wednesday JB Were (the sponsors) representatives will have the enviable - or unenviable - job of standing at the tee alongside Woods for the tournament's pro-am.
As to the tournament itself, Woods is looking forward to it as he has a fondness for Melbourne's sand belt courses, even if his last appearance was at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne 10 years ago.
The greens are set to be hard and fast but Woods says he is ready, despite some bumpy final round moments before finishing sixth behind Phil Mickelson in Sunday's HSBC Champions Trophy in Shanghai.
He is aware of the fuss his appearance causes and responded politely about the Masters this week.
"It's awfully nice that people are going to come out and support the event. It's a great event. The Masters is a big event down there.
"So for us to be playing on Kingston Heath, I think everyone is going to enjoy it," he said.
Maybe not entirely everyone, but we appreciate the sentiment.
