ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

AUGUSTA, Ga.--Sheriff Ronald Strength drew a tiny audience yesterday at a pre-protest briefing in the open field where he's granted permits for hundreds to demonstrate.

Attending were two of Martha Burk's surrogates and her lawyer, one guy whose cap said "Give War A Chance," Burk opponent Todd Manzi and a buddy, who stood in for a group that was a no-show.

If not for the gaggle of 20 reporters and cameramen crowding around, the sheriff could have prepped the protesters in a coffee shop booth.

"This is going to be the most eventful nonevent of the year," said sheriff's Capt. Ray Myers, who will head security for today's protests. He predicted as few as 150 protesters will show out of 900 permitted.

It's been nine months since Burk and her National Council of Women's Organizations sparked the much discussed, often ridiculed debate over whether all-male Augusta National Golf Club should admit women.

But will the combined-though-conflicting protests of Burk, her opponents and a few fringe activists during the Masters' third round be the circus expected by Tiger Woods or an anticlimax?

Burk, who has a permit to bus in 224 protesters, said she may end up with 100. And she acknowledged her message hasn't packed the same punch since war erupted in Iraq.

"I don't know if you would say it's lost momentum, but it's lost some of the spotlight and that's appropriate," she said.

"But it doesn't matter if it's on people's radar right this minute or not. What matters is that, in the long run, sex discrimination becomes a no-no for people who hold power in this country. And Augusta National is emblematic of this group."

Burk sued the city, and lost, seeking permission to have protesters near the wrought iron gates where players and members enter Augusta National.

Citing safety concerns, the sheriff relocated her group and all the others to a 5.1-acre vacant lot a half mile from the entrance.

Burk said she's still not sure if any of her protesters would risk arrest by picketing at the gate. Strength has warned that he won't allow even one protester on the sidewalk across from the club, saying it would pose a dangerous distraction to drivers and pedestrians.