The opening round of the Masters will begin at 3.30pm UK time on Thursday after weather delays at Augusta.
After announcing early Thursday morning that the first group of the day would not tee off until 2 p.m. BST, an hour later than planned, organizers then confirmed a further 90 minutes before the start of the opening match .
Rain fell throughout the night and into the morning in Augusta, before stopping, with organizers expecting the wet weather to be “much less than expected.”
The threat of lightning meant customers were not allowed in until 9:30 a.m. local time (2:30 p.m. BST), with gusts expected throughout the first two rounds.
All four days of the tournament are exclusively live Sky Sports Golf with Live coverage on Thursday begins from 2 p.m. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy tee off in the same group at 6:12 p.m., while the returning Tiger Woods begins his week at 8:54 p.m.
What are the forecasts for the rest of Thursday and the weekend?
In the latest weather update released by the tournament, organizers said forecasts now showed rainfall on the course would not be as heavy as initially feared, and the threat of thunder had also eased .
“We are currently dry and precipitation is moving east,” the update reads.
“Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are located 75 miles southwest of Augusta, moving northeast. This activity may impact ANGC between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. (12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. BST), but the current trajectory leaves the lightning threat remaining to our south.
“Wind gusts of up to 40 mph will be possible until 11:00 a.m. (4:00 p.m. BST) with sustained winds of 15 to 20 gusts to 30-35 mph continuing through the afternoon. Rainfall totals will be well lower than yesterday’s forecast, with additional quantities likely less than 0.50.”
Strong winds are expected to continue through Friday, with gusts expected to reach 30 mph, although conditions will be less humid and the return of sunshine is expected.
However, the forecast for the weekend is about as perfect as the tournament could hope for, with warm, sunny conditions and significantly lower winds than the previous two days, meaning the event will be able to resume its course in case of delay earlier in the season. week.
“Windy conditions persist on Friday under generally sunny skies as a dry and stable air mass settles into the region,” a tournament weather report said Wednesday. “Mainly sunny skies can be expected through the weekend with west to southwest winds between 7 and 15 mph.”
Delays due to inclement weather have forced at least one suspension of play in each of the last five editions of the Masters, while rain has been encountered in more than half of the previous 88 editions of the event.
The Masters hasn’t finished on a Monday since 1983, when Seve Ballesteros won by four strokes, and that streak is expected to continue this week despite questionable predictions for the tournament’s opening day.
What has the weather been like in Augusta so far?
SAli Stafford of Ky Sports at Augusta National:
“The delayed start of the Masters comes as no surprise, with strong winds and heavy rain for Thursday morning being forecast in recent days.
“There was a lot of heavy rain overnight and further thunderstorms are forecast in the coming hours.
“The local TV station is showing that the worst weather is actually south and east of Augusta, so maybe we won’t get as much rain as was predicted yesterday.”
When to watch The Masters on Sky Sports
Wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament begins during the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday, with featured group action and regular updates from around the course available on Sky Sports Golf until the start of the global broadcast window at 20 hours.
There will be plenty of extra action throughout the four days via the Sky Sports Golf Red Button, as well as Sky Q and Sky Glass, offering plenty of bonus streams and allowing you to follow players’ progress across different parts of the famous Augusta track.
Sky Sports Golf will broadcast extensive preparation content over the weekend and occasional live updates from the course before the global broadcast window begins at 8pm for the third round and 7pm for the final day, with feedforward action available throughout via the red button.
Who will win the Masters? Watch live from April 11-14 exclusively on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with the featured groups on Thursday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream The Masters and more golf with NOW.
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