After rain delay, 2024 Masters is officially underway
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Patrons poured through the gates of Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday for a weather-delayed start of the first round of the 88th Masters.
The tournament was officially underway as of 10:15 a.m. after honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit the first balls.
The start was delayed by more than two hours by overnight and early morning storms. It’s the sixth consecutive year that the weather has delayed at least some portion of the Masters.
Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp were the first competitors to tee off, while the heavy hitters from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were scattered in featured groups throughout the day.
Those with later tee times, including Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, were unlikely to finish before dark, meaning they would need to return Friday to finish their first rounds.
Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 champion and world’s top-ranked player, is the biggest betting favorite at 4-1, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, since Woods ruled nearly two decades ago. Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut last year, is trying for the 10th time to complete the career grand slam. Woods is playing for only the second time this year because of illness and injury.
Weather concerns
The weather is on the minds of a lot of players.
Throughout the week, we’ve heard players speak highly about the course conditions, with some even saying it’s the best they’ve seen in years.
But the rain and lingering wind may change their minds.
The players will have to adjust on the fly if they want to post low scores in the first round.
Masters champions Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia have had success in Augusta during the spring and in the fall, and those past experiences are giving them confidence before playing in these uncertain course conditions.
“Yeah, you know, obviously playing in November as well, you know, you can see how soft the golf course can play,” Watson said. “So you get used to that. Or you remember that. And you try to take it all in just because I think this is my 16th year, so you try to take all the knowledge that we have for 16 years and try to put it all together.”
Garcia said: “It’s going to impact every single hole, but obviously you think about holes like 5, 11, 10, 11, those kind of holes – 18 – tough holes that are long holes that you’re not going to get any run and it’s going to become quite tricky. So, but we’ll see, we’ll see how the weather is and we’ll deal with it.”
MASTERS HEADLINES
» Scheffler : Former champ keeps eyes on green jacket
» McIroy: He’s confident as he aims for Grand Slam
» Rahm: Reflections on a year as reigning champion
» Koepka: On becoming a dad
» Scheffler: How 2024 favorite feels about Masters
» Spieth: ‘It still gets you’ to be here
» Olazábal: Thoughts on longer holes
» McIlroy: More in tune with his game
» Schedule: Tee times announced
» Hovland: Reengineered swing could be a factor
» Legends: Honorary starters to launch Masters on Thursday
» Pavon: Will buried coin bring luck?
Player Luke List, who lives in Augusta, is taking a wait-and-see approach to the bad weather expected overnight.
“It looks like we’re going to have a nasty one overnight and the morning. Not much we can do about it. It’s kind of just see how much it dumps and how it will change,” he said. “Everybody’s in the same boat as far as, we’ve done all this preparation, but it will probably play different tomorrow, so I think that that’s kind of the unique thing about golf is we’re all on a level playing field when we get started.”
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