Tiger Woods has faced plenty of change the past two years in his golf swing, health, caddie and personal life. There has been one constant.
When Woods plays, fans follow.
A large crowd showed up Thursday for his 8:35 a.m. tee time in the first round of the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. Fans flocked to Woods as he went from hot to not in his second event after a three-month layoff caused by knee and Achilles’ tendon injuries.
“I’ve never been to a golf tournament before,” said Kyle Dreger, visiting from Wisconsin for the tournament. “He’s my favorite player. It’s my first tournament so why not watch the best player? ... There are a 150-something other players, but I would rather see him.”
Starting on the back nine and paired with Davis Love III and Padraig Harrington, Woods was 3-under par after his first five holes. However, after hitting into the water on No. 15, he shot 77 and limped to a 7-over-par day.
Two groups ahead of him was Phil Mickelson, another marquee player, who played to a considerably smaller gallery. Fans found it easier to get a glimpse of Mickelson, who was paired with former PGA winners David Toms and Vijay Singh.
“It’s always been like that,” said Calvin Thomas, an Alabama man on the difference in the number of followers. “It’s good to see [Woods] do good with all he’s been through and his struggle to get back.”
Woods found himself in the gallery after a wayward tee shot on the par-5 12th hole. He was surrounded five-people deep as he blasted his second shot into a greenside bunker that enticed a roar from the crowd. Other players on the course surely were familiar with that response from tournaments past. An up-and-down for birdie kept Woods' early momentum going.
His day began with a birdie putt on No. 10, after Woods had walked up the fairway and heard someone in the crowed yell, “Come on Tiger, make a putt.” When Woods knocked his approach on No. 14 three feet from the cup, another hollered, “He’s back!”
For awhile, anyway.
Fans took different approaches to get a good look at Woods. Some followed his every step and worked their way through the crowd for the best view possible. Others jumped ahead to stake out a spot and be in prime position for a future shot.
Dreger, the Wisconsin fan, walked along shot by shot. When Woods was finished, Dreger planned to camp out at one hole for his first view of others in the field.
Mickleson had his share of supporters on his way to a 1-over-par opening round, but there was plenty of elbow room outside the ropes.
Paul Hollahan of Roswell followed Woods and Mickelson at the outset, but switched solely to Mickelson before the golfer's first nine holes were complete.
“I lost a lot of interest [in Woods]. ... I’m not gunning for him to win,” Hollahan said.
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