Excited fans hit course for opening practice round

Trying to get Tiger Woods’ autograph at the Masters Tournament is nothing new. Trying to get him to sign a vintage picture of himself teeing off on the 13th hole for a friend stationed in Afghanistan who just missed the birth of his baby might be.

Rushing out to the course Mon­day morning, Gary and Barbara Rhoades planned to spend their only day at the Masters doing that.

“I know. Good luck, right?” said Gary Rhoades, who lives outside Grand Rapids, Mich. “We hope he turns around and sees it and decides it’s worth it.”

The picture is from Woods’ win in 1997. It is blown up to a 24-by-24 picture on the soldier’s wall in his home in Augusta. Gary Rhoades was carrying it with great care in a plastic case Monday.

The soldier’s “Masters baby,” was born Friday night, and the infant’s grandparents gave two of their Masters tickets to the Rhoadeses.

The couple plan to pay the grandparents back with Woods’ signature on the picture.

“They’ll be here later,” Barbara Rhoades said. “Just in time to see the signed photo.”

Debra Kyle, of Sardis, Ga., took her time on the way to Amen Corner with some friends. She has become a pro at finding the best place to watch in her fourth consecutive trip to the Masters.

“It is the prettiest spot on the course,” she said. “The flowers are gorgeous.”

Kyle said she and her friends would stay on the course as long as they could but were aware temperatures were expected to reach the low 90s later in the day.

“We’ll see how long we last,” she said.

She wasn’t complaining, however. She said she could remember standing out in the cold at the 2007 tournament.

“That was awful,” she said.

Near the first tee, Dan Seymore could barely contain his excitement as he watched Australians Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott start their practice round.

“Do you think I will have enough pictures?” the London resident asked as he pulled two disposable cameras out of his cargo shorts.

This is Seymore’s first time in the U.S., and he wanted to make sure to take home as many memories as possible.

“I plan on documenting everything,” he said. “Like, everything.”