It was quiet Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club -- a handful of pros were at the course preparing for the 72nd Masters Tournament -- when the man of the hour showed up and changed everything.

Tiger Woods gets in a practice round on the first fairway alongside his caddie, Steve Williams. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

Just after 1 p.m., word circulated through the course that Tiger Woods was coming through the front gate.

All eyes were on Woods, the overwhelming favorite to slip on his fifth green jacket next Sunday. There he was, in sunglasses, driving his own car to the players' parking lot.

Before he arrived, no one was sure whether Woods would make an appearance Sunday. Last year was the first time he had come on the Sunday before the tournament.

"Yeah, (I'm back) for the peace and quiet," Woods said after warming up on the practice range and heading to the putting green. About 20 minutes later, he teed off with good friend and 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara.

Woods hit his tee shot into the gaping fairway bunker on No. 1, an opening practice-round shot he is very familiar with.

"Every time," Woods mumbled.

At least 45 golfers in the 94-player field registered Sunday. Some players just signed in and received their player pins, but most practiced or played.

More players chose to play in the Houston Open, which ended Sunday with winner Johnson Wagner earning an eleventh-hour Masters invitation.

Woods was at Augusta National, though, which is good news for the crowds coming out for today's first official practice-round day.

They'll see a golfer who has won five of his past six PGA Tour starts and nine of his past 11 tournaments worldwide, dating back to September's BMW Championship.

Tiger Woods did not officially sign in Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club, but he did play a practice round with good friend and 1998 champion Mark O'Meara. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

Woods, who is 3-1 this season on the PGA Tour, wouldn't say Sunday that he was feeling better about his game going into this Masters than any in the past. Pressed to say which year he felt as good, Woods said, "I don't know."

Others aren't sure any pro has come into the Masters riding the kind of streak Woods is on.

"I've never heard of anyone hotter," said two-time champion Ben Crenshaw. "It would be interesting to see what an Arnold Palmer or (Jack) Nicklaus had done previous to the Masters."

Crenshaw doesn't see anyone's beating Woods this week.

"To play the kind of golf he is, it is spectacular, and he's returning to a familiar spot," he said.

"You can't just say he's going to win," said Vaughn Taylor, of Evans, who led the 2007 Masters briefly and finished tied for 10th. "He's playing well, obviously, and he's got to be a big favorite here. But we're playing the golf course here, and you can't worry about Tiger too much, if that's possible.

"Things have got to go your way, and you've definitely got to make putts. If you don't make putts, it's tough to win. He's the best player in the world, but you can only hit it so good."

Woods' third win this season came in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It was the 64th of his career, tying Ben Hogan for third on the PGA Tour victory list.

"To think he's tied Ben Hogan at age 32 is just incredible," Crenshaw said.

Overall, Woods has won 64 of 234 tour starts and is 13 of 44 in major championships as a pro.

K.J. Mode (from left), Jace Grygo and Kyle Dobson, all volunteers from Lakeside High, talk as they place trash bags along the fairway crossings at Augusta National Golf Club. (Michael Snyder/Staff)

"I know one thing: He's the darnedest winner so far that we've ever seen in golf," Crenshaw said.

Former U.S. Amateur champion Vinny Giles, who played in nine Masters, stopped to talk to Woods before Woods teed off Sunday. As a former U.S. Amateur champ, Giles can play the course during practice rounds. He hasn't played in the Masters since 1977.

"I've never seen a guy hotter, period," Giles said. "Quite honestly, ever.

"Look at the depth of the field and the number of fine players there are today. How in the world can you continue to dominate like he's doing? He wins a lot of tournaments by a lot of shots, not just a few. It's incredible."

Giles said he and a group of golf associates were talking recently about who could beat Woods this week. He said the consensus was that no one could.

"Ask a guy, ask Phil Mickelson, can you beat Tiger? Sure, he's going to say yes," Giles said. "And I'm sure he probably thinks he can, but realistically, he's got to think, 'Am I as good right now playing that golf course as Tiger?' The answer is no."

Crenshaw said the only way Woods could lose is if his putter goes cold. That happened in the third round and the first part of the fourth round in his most recent tournament, the CA Championship. He tied for fifth.

"If he keeps making his putts, he'll be there," Crenshaw said. "The putter has spoken so loudly. If you start looking at what he's done, he's made putts that you have to make to keep your confidence going. If that continues, he'll have a great week."

Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.