Posted April 7, 2012, 11:46 am

Tiger Woods draws crowd even when not around

The crowd around the practice green behind Augusta National’s clubhouse was three deep late Saturday morning, but there was no one on it.

Why?

“He’s about to be here,” said Reid Compton of Abbeville, S.C.

That “he” was Tiger Woods. The four-times Masters champ had a 10:45 tee time and the clock was ticking.

His arrival was announced by guards who cleared a path to the green about five minutes before he teed off. Woods putted a few in silence, not acknowledging the patrons or the other golfers who had made their way to the green, including his playing partner, 2011 Masters champ Charl Schwartzel.

When he made his last practice putt, a patron yelled, “Way to go, Tiger.”

He looked straight ahead as he walked briskly to the first tee. His fans were already concerned about what lay ahead just from his three-minute putting practice.

“I didn’t like his pre-warmup,” one said.

Woods striped a stinger 3-wood down the left center fairway. As he headed after his shot, so did most of the throng around the tee box.

“We’re definitely Tiger chasers,” said Perry Hanson, of Garden City, Kansas.

Woods parred his first two holes, then made birdies at Nos. 3 and 4. He finished with even par, remaining at 3-over overall