AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Greg Norman has gone from being the player nobody wanted to win the Masters in 1986 to being the player everyone would love to see win in 2009.

Norman, 54, is making his first appearance at the Augusta National Golf Club since 2002, and there is little doubt he is the sentimental favorite in the field, even among the players.

"When I used to come here in the '80s and '90s and you expected to do well, people were pulling for you and other people were not pulling for you, too," Norman said. "Now it seems like everyone is pulling for me, which is nice."

Curiously, nobody wanted to see Norman win in 1986, the year he was tied with 46-year-old Jack Nicklausentering the final hole. When Norman pushed his approach shot into the greenside gallery and made bogey, it allowed Nicklaus to win his sixth green jacket in maybe the most emotional moment in the 73-year history of the Masters.

Now, everyone would love to see Norman have a chance to do the same thing, as he almost did last year when he was leading the British Open heading to the final nine holes at Royal Birkdale. Norman ended up finishing third, which is how he earned a return trip to the Masters.

"I was just in the locker room and it's different," Norman said about the sentiment this year. "Even the players are, 'Hey, play well, play well.' I know in the '80s they were not coming up to me and saying, 'Hey, Greg, play well,' that's for sure."

Not many players, if any, have had more heartbreak than Norman at Augusta National. In addition to his loss to Nicklaus, he lost in a playoff the following year when Larry Mize holed an improbable chip at the 11th hole. Then in 1996 Norman blew a six-shot lead in the final round to Nick Faldo.

Still, Norman has one of the most remarkable records for a non-winner at the Masters, finishing in the top six in nine of his 22 starts.

Tuesday is usually the busiest practice day of the week at a major tournament, especially the Masters, where the Wednesday par-3 tournament cuts into a player's schedule.

However, Augusta National was unusually empty yesterday because many players decided not to play in the windy conditions and chilly temperatures. The forecast high was 57, but the windchill factor made it feel much colder.

"I'm not going to go out there and play because you're not going to learn a lot," Tiger Woods said after skipping his practice session. "They were conditions we aren't going to face all week."

That didn't stop Phil Mickelson, who teed off yesterday before 8 a.m. when the temperature was in the 30s.

"I didn't think it was that bad," said Mickelson, who usually doesn't play a Wednesday practice round during a major.

One year after he broke Arnold Palmer'srecord for most Masters starts, Gary Player said this year's appearance at Augusta National -- his 52nd -- will be his last.

A reporter asked Player what he thought his emotions would be when he walks up the 18th fairway for the final time Friday. Someone in the crowd quickly amended the question to Sunday afternoon.

"One's a realist," Player said, laughing. "And one's a dreamer."

Player is a three-time Masters winner whose victory in 1978 -- at age 42 and four years removed from his previous PGA Tour victory -- remains one of the most storied in tournament history. He already knows what his reaction will be when he plays his final hole.

"I'm a big baby," Player said. "Arnold and I are two big babies with crying. We just love people and we cry so easily. It's going to be tough. I think I will cry."