Championship play for the 84th PGA Tournament began Thursday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska. The world's best golfers are there, trying to win the fourth major championship of the year in professional golf. Fans throughout the upper Midwest have been flocking to Chaska's private golf club in hopes of seeing the best players in the world, mainly Tiger Woods.

	Tiger Woods had an early practice round Wednesday at the PGA tournament at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn. He has tried to avoid some of the crowds that have flocked to the tournament during the practice rounds the first three days. See more images. (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)

It's 6 a.m. and Elijah Nebo is pacing in the Canterbury Park parking lot in Shakopee. As the sky turns from dark to pink, Nebo nervously checks his cell phone, scans the parking lot and watches the yellow buses take thousands of spectators to the course.

Nebo is nervous because he's waiting for a friend to arrive with their tickets. His friend called the night before and invited him to the final practice round. Nebo, who lives in Oakdale, says he had a hard time getting to bed, and is nervous that he might miss his favorite player.

"We were supposed to get here early, and try to get on and see who would be out there first. If Tiger (Woods) was there we'd follow him for a couple of holes, and then watch the other guys. But my buddy hasn't showed up yet so I don't know," he says.

Nebo moved to the United States from Liberia 17 years ago, and says he took up golf after watching Tiger Woods win seven of the last 12 major championships. He says he wants to see how well Woods and the other players hit the ball.

	Elijah Nebo of Oakdale came to Wednesday's practice round at the PGA Championship to try to catch a glimpse of Tiger Woods. He says he took up golf after watching Tiger Woods win seven of the last 12 major championships. (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)

"I wasn't interested in golf or anything," says Nebo. "And then Tiger came onto the scene and everybody got into it, and I was like, 'Maybe I should go hit the ball and see what it's all about.' And by the time I hit the ball I fell in love with it."

By 7:15 a.m., Nebo's patience wore thin. He bought a ticket from a scalper and got in the shuttle bus line, along with hundreds of others, to get to Hazeltine. His friend and two young children showed up as soon as Nebo got in line. They, too, say it's all about seeing Tiger Woods.

Woods has already torn through the front nine of his practice round by 8 a.m. Thousands of spectators followed Woods and playing partner Mark O'Meara as they practiced chip shots, long irons and putting. In between the 11th green and 12th tee, fans line up five and 10 deep, with the hope of seeing Tiger up close.

"Don't let anyone squeeze in here," one mother says to her son. "Nobody. This is the best shot we're going to get."

Some fans hoped to snag an autograph, snap a picture or just see Woods up close. Woods calmly walked by all of them, focusing on the course while munching on an energy bar.

	These four high school students from Plymouth spent most of the day Wednesday chasing Tiger Woods around the course. "We're following around Tiger because you're never going to see as good of a player as he is. It's like a once in a lifetime chance to see him," says Brad Ingber, second from left. (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)

A lot of fans at Hazeltine say they hoped to see Woods play at least one hole. The crowds instantly swell when they know Woods is getting ready to play the next hole, and melt away just as quickly when he finishes.

Brad Ingber and his three friends from Plymouth chase Woods throughout the day. The Armstrong High School students say they all play golf and are in awe of how well Woods hits the ball.

"We're following around Tiger because you're never going to see as good of a player as he is. It's like a once in a lifetime chance to see him," says Ingber. "Everybody's here because they want to see a quick glimpse of Tiger, and just to see him for a quick second is awesome."

Other fans say they watched Woods on one hole and started walking the course or watching other players. Rae Sumada and Dottie Hanson, both of St. Louis Park, sit in the grandstands behind the 11th green. They say they picked the long par five because they can watch players fire their shots onto the green and practice their putts.

"It's fun. I'm kind of golf nut, so it's kind of a game to see how many I recognize," says Sumada.

"I was really impressed with the crowd. They're so quiet," Hanson adds. "I was surprised because I haven't been to one of these before, and it's just very lovely to be here. Everyone is quiet and watching and it's a beautiful. I'm glad to see that some of these pros miss a putt. That is encouraging to me because I miss a lot of them."

Over the next four days, the 156 players will hope to make as many putts as possible. Each missed putt could mean a missed cut, or a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings.

PGA Championship