Thursday’s tee times pushed back at Augusta by at least one hour to 2pm UK time due to bad weather at Augusta and forecast of heavy rain and thunderstorms; watch all four days exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf
The start of The Masters has been delayed with tee times pushed back on Thursday’s opening day by at least one hour due to adverse weather.
The first group had been due to tee off at 1pm BST (8am local) but play will now not start before 2pm BST (9am local) amid the forecast of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Rain has been falling at Augusta so far on Thursday, with lightning also in the area.
All four days of the tournament are exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf.
In a weather update issued by the tournament early on Thursday morning, Augusta National said: “We continue to monitor the weather closely.
“Gate openings and tee times have been delayed until further notice. The first round will not begin before 9am [2pm BST].”
Officials had already confirmed on Wednesday evening they would delay patron gate openings ahead of the first day’s play.
Speaking before the weather delay was confirmed, Sky Sports News’ Jamie Weir explained what the potential knock-on effects could be for Thursday and Friday’s play at Augusta
What’s the latest situation at Augusta?
Sky Sports’ Ali Stafford at Augusta National:
“The delayed start to The Masters comes as little surprise, with strong winds and heavy rain for Thursday morning having been in the forecast for the past few days.
“There has been plenty of heavy rain overnight and more storms are forecast over the next couple of hours.
“The local TV station is showing the worst of weather is actually to the south and east of Augusta, so perhaps we may not get quite as much rain as the forecast was showing yesterday.
“It will be a bit of a waiting game today though as we wait for further official updates on when play could possibly resume.”
What’s the forecast for the remainder of Thursday and the weekend?
In the latest weather update, organisers said forecasts were now suggesting rainfall at the course may not be as heavy as initially feared.
“We are currently dry with the precipitation shifting to our east,” read the update.
“Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are 75 miles to the southwest of Augusta moving to the northeast. This activity may impact ANGC between 7:30am-9am [12.30am-2pm BST], but current track has the lightning threat remaining to our south.
“Peak wind gusts to 40mph will be possible through 11am (4pm BST) with sustained winds of 15-20 gusting to 30-35mph continuing through the afternoon. Rainfall totals will be much less than forecasted yesterday with additional amounts likely holding under 0.50
Strong winds are set to continue into Friday, with gusts expected to reach 30mph, although conditions will be less humid and sunshine is scheduled to return.
However, the weekend forecast is about as perfect as the tournament could hope for, with warm and sunny conditions and winds significantly less than the previous two days, meaning the event will be able to get back on track if there are any delays earlier in the week.
“Windy conditions persist Friday under mostly sunny skies as a dry and stable airmass settles into the area,” a weather update from the tournament on Wednesday said. “Mostly sunny skies can be expected through the weekend with west to south-westerly winds in the 7-15 mph range.”
Adverse weather delay has forced at least one suspension in play in each of the past five editions of The Masters, while rain has been experienced in over half of the 88 previous editions of the event.
As The Masters approaches, watch a selection of the best and worst shots from Rory McIlroy at Augusta National
The Masters has not finished on a Monday since 1983, when Seve Ballesteros claimed a four-shot victory, with that run set to continue this week despite the questionable forecast for the opening day of the tournament.
When to watch The Masters on Sky Sports
Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins over the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available to enjoy on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
The Masters is upon us and you can watch all the tremendous action live this week on Sky Sports Golf
There will be lots of extra action throughout all four days via the red button on Sky Sports Golf, along with Sky Q and Sky Glass, providing plenty of bonus feeds and allowing you to follow players’ progress through various parts of Augusta’s famous layout.
Sky Sports Golf will show extended build-up content over the weekend and occasional live updates from the course before the global broadcast window starts at 8pm for the third round and 7pm for the final day, with early action available throughout via the red button.
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Who will win The Masters? Watch live from April 11-14 exclusively on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups on Thursday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream The Masters and lots more golf with NOW.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
