<p>Thousands of fans turned out to watch Woods practice at the Kingston Heath course here in the lead-up to Thursday’s European Tour co-sanctioned Australian Masters, while television helicopters recorded his every move from overhead.<br /><br />“No, it’s not normal. Trust me, it’s not. Thank God, it’s not normal,” Woods said when asked if the reception he had received in famously sports-loving Australia was par for the course. “You don’t normally see this many people at a practice round certainly, maybe at a major championship you might see this many people.<br /><br />“I’ve never experienced the helicopters before, they were overhead but they didn’t interfere with my play.”<br /><br />Tournament organisers paid a reported $3 million to lure the 14-time major winner to Melbourne, and the investment appears to have already paid huge dividends.<br /><br />Huge galleries not seen since the heyday of local golfing idol Greg Norman in 1980s are expected to follow Woods this week.</p>
<p>Thousands of fans turned out to watch Woods practice at the Kingston Heath course here in the lead-up to Thursday’s European Tour co-sanctioned Australian Masters, while television helicopters recorded his every move from overhead.<br /><br />“No, it’s not normal. Trust me, it’s not. Thank God, it’s not normal,” Woods said when asked if the reception he had received in famously sports-loving Australia was par for the course. “You don’t normally see this many people at a practice round certainly, maybe at a major championship you might see this many people.<br /><br />“I’ve never experienced the helicopters before, they were overhead but they didn’t interfere with my play.”<br /><br />Tournament organisers paid a reported $3 million to lure the 14-time major winner to Melbourne, and the investment appears to have already paid huge dividends.<br /><br />Huge galleries not seen since the heyday of local golfing idol Greg Norman in 1980s are expected to follow Woods this week.</p>