RPT-Golf-Woods bemused by warm Australian reception

(refiles with minor change to quote in third par)

By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Thousands of fans and a media circus worthy of a head of state greeted Tiger Woods at Melbourne's Kingston Heath golf club on Tuesday, as the world number one made his first visit to Australia in 11 years.

Woods, who arrived by private jet in Melbourne on Monday, tuned up for this week's A$1.5 million dollars ($1.40 million) Masters with a nine-hole practice round in front of throngs of spectators and a low-flying helicopter scanning his every move.

"No, (the reception) is not normal. Thank God it's not normal," the 14-time major champion told reporters. "You don't normally see this many people at a practice round, certainly, maybe at a major championship."

Woods's first tournament in Australia since the 1998 President's Cup in Melbourne, has been seen as a watershed for a tour that has struggled to provide purses and appearance fees large enough to attract golf's biggest names.

The state government of Victoria, which local media have reported paid half of Woods' $3 million appearance fee, had branded his appearance a coup and said the visit would generate an economic benefit of A$19 million.

Woods's delay in heading back to Australia was a matter of "timing" rather than financial incentives, the 33-year old said.

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