If Tiger Woods is pumping his fist at Augusta National, it's a bad omen for the rest of the field. Andrew Redington/Getty Images

At exactly 2:15 on Sunday afternoon, I walked out of the press center at Augusta National Golf Club, hurried across the pavement in front of the main merchandise store, shimmied between two rows of bushes and eventually found myself standing beside the first fairway squinting into a cloudless sky. This, it occurred to me, is not a bad spot to begin one's work day.

My assignment was the same as everyone else's Sunday: I wanted to follow Tiger Woods for all 18 holes. Sure, I could see the action much better on the big screens in the press center, but this wasn't about seeing what was happening. It was about witnessing history. And history is exactly what I saw unfold during a glorious Sunday at the Masters.

2:47 -- I am standing beside the putting green, sipping sweet lemonade and catching my first glimpse of the Man in Red. He is standing at the far end of the green, casually rolling a pair of balls at various holes while walking and talking with his coach, Hank Haney. The fans (sorry, Hootie, I refuse to call them "patrons") are lined up 10 deep around the green. Can you imagine what it feels like to have so many strangers watching your every move?

2:57 -- I watch Tiger and Chris DiMarco tee off from just off the right side of the first tee box. It's hard to see the guys through the crowd, but I did see Tiger's ball -- but only for a moment. I have very good vision, but most of the time I cannot see Tiger's drives. There have been many occasions when I was literally inside the ropes and squatting right next to the tee box and was still unable to see this man's ball after he launches it.

Ah, but there's something better than seeing Tiger's drives: Hearing them. It is a precise and powerful crushing sound. You hear it, and you know you have just heard a golf ball hit as well as it can possibly be hit.

3:24 -- I've found a brief respite from the sun on a shady spot about 50 yards short of the second green. When I get there, I can see Tiger stalking his putt. I did not know he had birdied the first hole, and nobody around me knew it, either. Just when I was thinking Tiger was taking a very long time over the ball, he plunks in another birdie.

3:46 -- Here's an expert tip: The key to following a golfer with a huge gallery is to stay ahead of the action. Still, I can't help breaking that habit in an effort to get as close to Tiger as possible. I see him tee off on the par-3 fourth [my view of the actual shot is blocked by the grandstand]. After he and DiMarco pass, I cross over to the left side of the hole, where I catch my first sighting of the lovely Elin. Tiger's bride is wearing a red collared shirt, black shorts and is chatting with two young boys as she walks. I scurry ahead to the fifth fairway, where I happen upon the rest of Team Tiger, including his mother, Tida, and his IMG agent, Mark Steinberg. Steinberg gets concerned when he sees a spotter holding a flag by the left fairway bunker -- "Who's that left?" he asks. It turns out DiMarco is the one who's left. Tiger did put his drive in the fairway and approach on the green, but he three-putts for bogey.

4:07 -- I admit it, it's a blast just watching Tiger walk, especially when he's in first place during a final round of the Masters. When he walks down the hill from the sixth tee, he is swarmed by the crowd, and a feast of azalea bushes serve as a stunning backdrop. He is walking at a quick pace, but he's not rushing. He looks like he knows he's going to win but isn't taking anything for granted.

4:20 -- I hurry to the seventh fairway and watch Tiger hit his approach shot. The gallery rushes to the green, but on the adjacent fairway amateur Casey Wittenberg is trying to hit his approach to the 17th green. His caddie asks the fans to be still. They stop for a second or two and keep moving. Sorry, Casey, but Tiger is the only show in town right now.

4:26 -- I bail on the seventh green and worm my way into a spot right next to the eighth tee. This is the closest I will get to Tiger all day. When he walks on the tee box, he's greeted by the standard applause. He tips his hat and smiles broadly. I don't know that I've ever seen him do that before -- fans are lucky to get any kind of recognition from Tiger, much less a broad smile during the final round at a major. I'm left of the tee, and as Tiger stands over his ball, I can see the outline of his shoulder and back muscles underneath his tight-fitting shirt. It's not the first time I decide Tiger is built like an NFL free safety. Unfortunately, Tiger push-slices his ball into the right trees and slams his driver down in disgust. As he walks, he mimics the action with his right hand that produced the faulty shot. Big surprise: Tiger will make par anyway to stay three shots ahead of DiMarco.

Speaking of the tee box, did you know that at Augusta, the holes are not marked, either on the tees or on the flagsticks? The only thing on the tee boxes are two carved pieces of wood. It's one of my favorite timeless details. But I'm still not calling the fans "patrons."