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#Masters’ 4-day weather forecast not as bleak as it once was

#Masters’ 4-day weather forecast not as bleak as it once was

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The weather for the Masters at Augusta National had looked dire for most of the week in early forecasts, but now it looks as if the only tournament day that will be greatly affected is Thursday’s opening round.

The forecast for Thursday is calling for an 80 percent chance of rain with some possible thunderstorms. If the tournament can get through Thursday unscathed, meaning without any substantial play stoppages, it should be home free the rest of the week.

Friday’s second round is calling for a 10 percent chance of rain, with Saturday and Sunday forecast for a 20 percent chance.

The complication for the tournament is the shorter days in November than when the tournament is usually played in April, with darkness setting in shortly after 5 p.m. There are 92 players in the field and, for the first time since 2005, the opening two rounds will be played off the first and 10th tees to expedite play.

The first tee times are 7 a.m. and last is at 12:22 p.m.

Magnolia Lane is seen at Augusta National Golf
Magnolia Lane is seen at Augusta National GolfGetty Images

Augusta National has a SubAir system that sucks the moisture from the fairways and greens, and those have been running in overdrive for the past day in anticipation of the precipitation.

Wet conditions generally favor the longer hitters, because there’s no roll in the fairways. So, watch out for Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka and Matthew Wolff, all of whom rank inside the top 20 on the PGA Tour in carry distance.

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley on Thursday said he’s hopeful the April 2021 Masters will be played with at least limited patrons, but that depends on the state of the COVID-19 crisis. There are no patrons allowed on the grounds this week.

“Looking on to April, I’m hopeful that we will see improved conditions regarding this virus, but April is less than five months away,’’ Ridley said. “So, there’s certainly no assurance of that. We do have hopes that the tournament in April will be closer to normal than it is right now.”

At last week’s Vivint Houston Open, the PGA Tour allowed fans on site for the first time since its restart in June. Some 2,000 fans per day were allowed in, and Ridley said he was “encouraged by what took place last week in Houston.’’

Ridley addressed the game’s issue of players becoming longer and potentially rendering some golf courses obsolete.

“I’ve been reluctant thus far to make any major changes regarding adding distance to the golf course,’’ Ridley said. “I think sometimes when you do that, there are unintended consequences that come out of that.’’

The one Augusta National hole that has been under scrutiny is No. 13, the 510-yard par-5, which almost every player reaches in two shots. The club bought property from adjacent Augusta Country Club that’s behind the 13th tee and the assumption has been that the tee will be moved back to create added yardage.

“It still provides a lot of drama, but its challenge is being diminished,’’ Ridley said of 13. “We don’t think that’s good for the Masters. We don’t think it’s good for the game. But the [length] issue is a lot larger than Augusta National and the Masters. We have options. We can make changes, but not every golf course can.’’


The best moment of all the pre-tournament Masters interviews the past three days came from Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 ranked player in the world. It came when he was asked what his favorite Masters tradition is.

“For me, I don’t know if it’s really tradition, but my favorite thing about the Masters is the sandwiches,’’ Johnson said.

“Which one?’’ he was asked.

“All of them,’’ he said.

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