CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Round one of the Wells Fargo Championship tees off Thursday morning at Quail Hollow with stars in the field and celebrities in the seats.
But the action was a little more lighthearted during Wednesday's Pro-Am.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera golfed with Phil Mickelson, Panther Luke Kuechly caddied for Panther Greg Olsen but as usual, Tiger Woods stole the show, bringing out an unusually large crowd for a Wednesday practice round.
PHOTOS: Panthers at Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am
"Super Bowl is easy compared to this.This is the hard stuff!" Panthers Head coach Ron Rivera said.
Even Woods admitted course conditions were tough.
"The golf course is much harder than it used to be," said the 14-time major champion.
As Woods prepared for a pilgrimage he hopes takes him to the upper echelon of golf, he teed off with 18-year-old, Sahbaz Hashmi, who won the opportunity to play with Woods through the First Tee program.
"Mr. Woods is my hero, unequivocally," said Hashmi, who lives in San Antonio and carries a 4.0 GPA. "I'm so grateful and I'm still in a little bit of a state of shock."
Woods also had gratitude, not only to be in Charlotte, but to simply suit up in golf attire after injuries have hampered his career.
"There was a long period of time where I didn't think I would ever play golf again. I was just hoping I would walk without pain," said Woods.
You would have had no idea Woods was ranked 93rd in the world, judging by all the fans and security that followed his every move.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police told NBC Charlotte more than 50 officers on bike and foot patrolled the course on Wednesday.
Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory was one of several notable celebrities to take in the practice round. He offered up a glowing endorsement for any fans on the fence about checking out round one.
"It's going to look good on TV, and it's going to look even better in person," said the former governor.