FROM ONE CHAMPIONSHIP TO ANOTHER: Minnesota resident Jerry Hinderman attended his second major sporting event in a week with a visit to Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday.

Hinderman said he was in Atlanta to see the NCAA men's basketball championship game Monday. On Wednesday, he gazed at the rolling hills and azaleas of Augusta National and was in awe.

"It's been fun," he said of his past week.

Of the course, Hinderman said, "It's beautiful. Watching it (later on TV), you can appreciate each hole more."

In the basketball championship, he said, he rooted for Ohio State, which lost to Florida. At the Masters Tournament, his pick is Tiger Woods.

STAKING OUT A SEAT: Nancy Larimer and her friends Cheryl Lason, Becky Pasco and Pat Jorn, all of Lincoln, Neb., made sure to get to the Par-3 Course early for a good seat.

"We're going to stake out, then walk," Larimer said. "We're getting smart."

It was their second consecutive day on the course. They witnessed golfer Fuzzy Zoeller invite a fan out onto the 12th tee to take a swing Tuesday, they said.

"The best shot we'd seen all day," Jorn said of how the fan performed.

The women said they had experienced good luck in finding prime viewing spots and were hoping to do the same at the Par-3 Contest.

FOLLOWING A FRIEND: Jay McClellan, of Covington, Ga., said he was looking forward to seeing the players, one in particular.

McClellan said he's friends with golfer Robert Karlsson, whom he met through Karlsson's caddie at Indian Creek Golf Club in Atlanta. McClellan said Karlsson shouldn't be too hard to find. After all, he's about 6 feet 5 inches tall, he said.

"He's probably the tallest on the tour," McClellan said.

He said he was looking forward to the Par-3 Contest and to picking up a few pointers.

"We play a lot of golf and want to see how it's done," he said.