By Russ Bynum
The Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Sheriff Ronald Strength drew a tiny audience Friday 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 Saturday'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?

It's as tough to predict as the chilly, wet weather that finally gave way to sunshine.

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.

"We don't want to arrest anyone," Strength told the protest organizers. "But if any law is violated or any ordinance is violated, we will take that person or persons into custody."

The sheriff will have plenty of officers on hand. About 100 deputies and state troopers plan to stake out the lot, parking their patrol cars between protest groups to prevent confrontations.

Strength also ticked off a list of do's and don'ts. Bullhorns are OK, microphones and amplifiers aren't. Handing out leaflets is fine, but no selling souvenirs. Deputies won't tolerate shouting and taunting between opposing sides.

And the only portable toilets the city will provide are for "law enforcement only," Strength said.

The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition has 100 people, mostly Augusta residents, lined up to support Burk, said Janice Mathis, the group's vice president. But their leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, has said he'll be a no-show.

Joseph J. Harper, founder of a splinter group of the Ku Klux Klan, said he'll likely be a one-man show. Harper supports Augusta National's right to be all-male, but says he also wants to shed the Klan's extremist image of white robes and explosive language.

"I'm not going to give them the satisfaction to stereotyping me the way they already have," he said.

Harper didn't show up Friday, and neither did an anti-Jackson group from California called Brotherhood of a New Destiny. One of Manzi's friends stepped in to represent them instead.

Burk's group plans to set up a small stage on the lot, and was still quibbling Friday with the sheriff over using a microphone and amplifier.

Many Augustans hope Burk's crusade will fade after Saturday. Though she's failed to bend the will of Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson, she promised the protest won't be her finale.

Next up, Burk says she'll target corporate executives among Augusta National's roughly 300 members, lobbying consumers to boycott their products and dump their stock.

But Burk, who says she likes Tiger Woods but isn't a big golf fan, has no plans to return to the Masters next year.

"I certainly hope not," Burk said. "I don't intend to spend the rest of my life on this."