GLIMPSE AT GREATNESS: Gene Bianchi hoped his first Masters Tournament in 22 years would be a memorable one -- and at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, his wish came true.

"We haven't been able to come to a tournament since 1977," said the Duluth, Ga., man, who was there with son-in-law Ken McCoy . "This year, we really wanted to see Tiger Woods ."

With tickets only for Tuesday, Bianchi and McCoy had nearly given up their quest and were headed to the sandwich stand for lunch. It was the right place at the right time: Woods emerged from the clubhouse en route to the media center for a 1 p.m. news conference.

"We turned around and there he was," Bianchi said. "He wasn't three feet away -- going by real slow in his golf cart. I said, 'Hi, Tiger, God bless you,' and he looked back at me and said, 'Thank you.' It was incredible."

PAR-3 MEMORY: Andy Kosinski, a first-time Masters patron from Winter Spring, Fla., spent part of Tuesday morning at the Par-3 Course -- a seemingly unlikely place to catch a glimpse of one of his favorite pros. "Someone was down there practicing, so we went over to see," he said. "We figured it was one of the new guys, but it turned out to be Sandy Lyle !"

The course, he said, is everything it appears to be on television -- just better.

"It's the pinnacle of a golfer's dream," he said. "It's gorgeous."

PHOTO SPOTS: Ruth and Steve Allen posed with family members for a portrait in front of the signature flower bed at the clubhouse they traveled halfway across the country to see.

"It's amazing. The heritage, the maturity of everything," Allen said. "It is so vivid."

Another popular spot for photos was the main scoreboard behind the clubhouse, where newlyweds Charlie and Lorraine Friend , of Laporte, Ind., paused for a snapshot.

"This was the first time after 10 years of trying that I got drawn for (practice round) tickets," Lorraine said. "We've watched it on TV before, but, well, you've just got to be here."