Masters: Opening round likely to be delayed as heavy rain, storms expected at Augusta National
The weather at Augusta National is going to be rough on Thursday morning.
The opening round of the Masters will likely be delayed due to heavy thunderstorms that are set to roll into the area on Wednesday night. As of Wednesday afternoon, according to The Weather Channel, there is a 99% chance of thunderstorms in Augusta, Georgia, at 6 a.m. ET on Thursday that should last through the early afternoon. Winds are forecasted to be anywhere from 15-20 mph.
The Masters is set to open play with honorary starters Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson at 7:40 a.m. on Thursday before the first group tees off at 8 a.m. The tournament said on Wednesday night, however, that it was delaying all gate openings on Thursday due to the weather — which is a likely sign that play will be delayed at least a little bit.
Tournament may not start until 1 pm. Conditions can change but heavy weather coming to Augusta. https://t.co/bkx6iVWEWG
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) April 10, 2024
The tournament said it would provide another update no later than 5 a.m. on Thursday.
The good news, though, is that the storm system is expected to be completely through the area by about 2 p.m. on Thursday. The rest of the weekend should be perfectly clear of rain, too. There’s a forecasted high of 85 degrees and sunny on Sunday, which would make for a fantastic finish weather-wise.
So even if the opening round can’t be completed on Thursday, there should be ample opportunity to catch back up quickly.
Rain has impacted the last several editions of the tournament, so this is nothing new. Play was suspended twice last year, both in the second and third rounds of the tournament, due to storms in the area. A tree was actually knocked down near the 17th tee last spring during one of the storms. Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament, too, after fighting through the rain in the third round.
Woods is scheduled to tee off at 1:24 p.m. on Thursday alongside Jason Day and Max Homa. Depending on when play gets started, assuming there's a delay on Thursday morning, it could be a very long day on Friday for Woods' group and everyone else in the afternoon wave.
