AUGUSTA, Ga. — At about 10:55 a.m. the crowd parted all on its own. No security told people to do it. No ropes were pulled out. Nothing was imminent. This was in front of the famed Augusta National clubhouse, under the sprawling live oaks that offer scenery and shade, some of the most exclusive ground in this exclusive country club.
Tiger Woods was coming. He wasn’t there yet, but he was coming. Everyone knew that. He was set to tee off at 11:04 which meant he would be emerging from the clubhouse for a walk that seemed nearly impossible 14 months ago when he rolled his SUV over a Southern California median, across two lanes of road, through a wooden sign, off a tree and finally into a ditch.