Aaron Baddeley is a work in progress as a golfer. The finished product is expected to be something special.

The 19-year-old Australian amateur, winner of the Australian Open in November, enters his first Masters Tournament with more fanfare than any amateur since Tiger Woods in 1995.

Even Woods, the 1997 Masters champion and this week's favorite, joined the Baddeley fan club after playing a practice round with the teen-ager at the Bay Hill Invitational in mid-March.

``I was telling Mark O'Meara that at 19 years old, there's no way I ever hit it that good,'' Woods said. ``I was spraying it all over the lot and just trying to get up-and-down and score. I wasn't as good a ball-striker as Aaron is. There's no doubt about that.''

The Augusta National Golf Club thought so much of Baddeley's victory in the Australian Open, where he beat such notables as Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman, that they extended a rare amateur international invitation to the Sydney resident. The last time an amateur received an international invitation was in 1976.

``He has a lot of composure and that gleam in his eye of a player who will be hard to beat,'' said Norman, who played host to Baddeley at his south Florida estate during last month's Honda Classic. ``He's right there with Woods and (20-year-old Sergio) Garcia. He's got no fear. He has a confidence about him, that air you need. He has an ego, and everybody needs an ego. He has all of it; you can see it in his eyes.''

Three-time Masters champion Gary Player said, ``Jack Nicklaus was the best young player I ever saw in my lifetime, and this young man has the same ability.''

Even higher praise came from five-time British Open champion Peter Thompson, who called Baddeley a ``one-in-a-million player. He has a better swing action than Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia and should prove himself the best.''

``It's amazing how good these players are at such a young age,'' said Arnold Palmer, referring to Baddeley, Woods and Garcia. ``I think the mental attitude of these young players is far more mature than when it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago.

``I think although there were some pretty young, good players in those days, I think the training that these people get, not just on the golf course or in golf, but in school, and their advanced maturity is startling to me. They are very seasoned and very poised for the game.''

All this high praise hasn't gone to Baddeley's head. If he's feeling any pressure, he doesn't show it, especially on the golf course. There, he and his caddie have been known to sing songs by such Australian rock groups as Taxi Ride and Powerfinger between shots.

``The reason you start to play is because it's fun,'' Baddeley said before playing the PGA Tour's Honda Classic in early March. ``Just because you're playing professionally doesn't mean you turn sour-faced. You're serious hitting the shot, but in between, you relax and have fun. My caddie and I do anything to take our minds off it.''

Baddeley made his PGA Tour debut at the Honda Classic, where he finished tied for 56th. Baddeley shot rounds of 69-68-73-71 for an 8-under-par 280. The following week, he missed the cut at Bay Hill, shooting 75-74. This will be his first start since Bay Hill.

In addition to playing in the Honda Classic and at Bay Hill, Baddeley has exemptions into the U.S. Open, the Houston Open, the Byron Nelson Classic and the Memorial.

``We have a plan,'' said Baddeley's father, Ron, who has set aside $28,000 for this year's tour of America. ``We're sort of taking the Sergio Garcia approach and getting as much experience as we can.''

Garcia played in 39 professional events before turning pro after the 1999 Masters, where he was the low amateur.

``He's doing the right thing by playing as many tournaments as he possibly can to gain experience,'' Woods said. ``I was fortunate enough to get a few exemptions as an amateur. I took full advantage of that.

``It's something completely different from what he's used to. It's a different atmosphere, and you need to get used to that before you come out here. I think Aaron has a very bright future ahead of him.''

Baddeley was born in New Hampshire, where his father was the chief mechanic for legendary race car driver Mario Andretti. They moved back to Australia when Aaron was 2. Since Australia recently changed its citizenship rules to allow those age 18 and older to choose a home country, Baddeley conceivably could play for Australia in the Presidents Cup against the United States, then turn around the next year and play for the United States against Europe in the Ryder Cup.

In October, Baddeley will decide whether to turn pro.

``After I've played tour events here and I've seen how I've played against the best in the world, then I'll have found out how ready I am,'' Baddeley said. ``Then, and only then, we will make a decision whether I'm going to turn professional or not. I still have so much work to do and progress to make before I turn professional.''

When Baddeley weighs the pros and cons of turning pro, he will be four months shy of his 20th birthday.

``If he's not ready, I don't have any hesitation holding him back,'' Baddeley's father said. ``I don't want him to be 35 and say, `I missed out on my teen-age years.' I want him to have somewhat of a life outside golf.''

Ron Baddeley knows what happened to Justin Rose of England. After a fourth-place finish in the 1998 British Open, Rose turned pro at age 17 and has enjoyed little success since.

``Justin Rose, I almost weep for him,'' Ron Baddeley said. ``If I'd been his father, there's no way I would have put him in a position of turning pro at 17.''