Strong winds and the potential for heavy rain delayed the start of the first round of the 88th Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, on Thursday morning.
Tournament organizers provided two updates, with the latest pushing back the start time until 10:30 a.m. ET, nearly three hours after the first group, consisting of Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp, was set to tee off.
Patrons evacuate the grounds after play was suspended for the day due to weather conditions during the third round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 8, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.
Tiger Woods will tee off at 3:54 p.m. and the latest group, which includes 2020 Masters winner Dustin Johnson, will get started at 4:30 p.m.
The weather delay will likely prevent players starting late from finishing their first rounds before sunset. In case they are unable to finish, they will resume their first rounds on Friday morning.
Early Thursday morning, the Augusta Fire and Emergency Management provided an update from the National Weather Service. There is a forecast of heavy rainfall in the vicinity of the Augusta National Golf Course and strong wind gusts exceeding 30 mph, likely to persist throughout the day.
Inclement weather during the previous year’s Masters tournament resulted in numerous trees falling on the immaculate golf course, causing the second round to be extended into the weekend.