Charlie Norris twisted his torso, bent at the waist and stretched as far as his 18-year-old legs would let him. But he did the near-impossible Sunday afternoon.

He saw Tiger Woods make contact with a golf ball.

The first-time Masters Tournament champion always has thick throngs following him around a golf course, but as Woods crept toward his victory Sunday afternoon, the troops tailing him sometimes measured 30-deep.

At No. 15 tee, you could hear the thwack of his ball heading for the fairway. You could hear Woods jokingly call out ``Fore!'' And you could see a glimpse of his bright red shirt.

But to actually see Woods put club to ball was darn near unattainable at most holes.

``I can't see anything,'' said Kristine Holloway of Augusta, standing along the No. 2 fairway. Woods had just lined a ball toward the green, but only the ball flying by was visible from Holloway's vantage point.

``Wait, I want to see him walk by,'' she told some friends. ``Might as well see him walk by.''

Even actor Jack Nicolson had to struggle for a glimpse of Woods teeing off at No. 1. Nicolson, waving off two fans' offer of their prime viewing spot, hopped on his tiptoes, straining for a look. Norris stood a few feet up the rope.

How to see Woods on his historic day broke down into three basic strategies: Sit. Run. Do both.

``I`m not budging,'' said said Marilynn Mitchell of Houston. She perched at the corner of the crossway at No. 15 with fiancee Raymond Bucknell, whose uncle, R.J. Vero, works as a gallery guard there. ``No way Jose.''

Meanwhile, at every junction between a Tiger Woods tee shot and a Tiger Woods putt, a Pinkerton security guard had to yell at people.

``No running! Please! No running!'' guards called to grown men breaking into sprints.

Then there was the Spot-Tiger pattern followed by Michael Hicks and his son, Michael Jr.

``Walk the first nine holes. On the back nine, we're going to go sit at 18 and wait for him to come,'' explained Hicks, newly moved to Augusta.

Michael Jr., 15, already had his close encounter with Captain Swoosh, anyway. He and his dad hung out near the Augusta National Golf Club clubhouse Sunday morning and spoke with Woods.

``He was like right here with you and me,'' Michael said. ``And I got to see him putting.''

With an unobstructed view, no less. Almost as amazing as Woods' performance.