It wasn’t hard to tell where Tiger Woods was at any given moment during his morning practice round at Valhalla Golf Club.
Hundreds of people followed along with him hole after hole. Many in the Louisville area told WHAS11 they traveled just to see him.
“She’s been giddy all morning, the whole way out here, especially when she heard Tiger was coming around the corner,” said Aaron Smith of Bardstown, KY, about daughter MacKenna Smith. “She had to get a picture.”
Fans of all different ages and generations flocked to the 18th green to see the golf legend as he finished up his prep for the day, ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla — where Woods won in 2000.
Many of them were star-struck.
“This is surreal,” Fern Creek’s Greg Claycomb said. “You see him on TV for 25 years, you don’t know what it’s like when he’s 10 feet away.”
Some who stood waiting patiently for an autograph lucked out. Woods went one by one signing gear and other memorabilia before heading back to the clubhouse.
“My hands are shaking, the adrenaline rush,” one teenager said.
Crowds are expected to balloon from about 10,000 at Valhalla on Monday to close to 40,000 at any given moment once the tournament starts on Thursday.
Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) officers have a presence on site working security, following not just Tiger, but every other golfer from hole to hole.
“It’s going to be a lot of hands on deck for LMPD,” said LMPD spokesperson Sgt. Matt Sanders.
Sanders said the same rules apply to those in attendance as any other big ticket event: If you see something suspicious, say something.
And above all else: Use the shuttle from the Kentucky Expo Center.
“Shelbyville road isn’t really equipped to handle this amount of traffic, so I know residents in the area are kind of upset about that; but the best thing to do is to bear with us,” Sanders told WHAS11 Monday. “This is good, good revenue building for the city – but ride share here, take a bus and enjoy yourself.”
Police are again reiterating to the community that walk-ins to Valhalla aren’t allowed for the PGA Championship.
