The start of the Masters on Thursday is set to be disrupted with thunderstorms forecast to hit Augusta National.
After three dry practice days, conditions are expected to deteriorate from 06:00 local time (11:00 BST).
“Heavy rainfall and wind gusts of 40-45mph are anticipated in this period,” read a forecast on the Masters website.
The tournament is scheduled to start at 08:00 (13:00 BST) after Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit the honorary opening tee shots.
In response to the weather forecast, Augusta National said in a statement on Wednesday evening there will be a delay to the opening of spectator gates and that tournament organisers will issue a further update at 08:00 BST.
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“Not much we can do about it. It’s kind of just see how much it dumps and how it will change,” said American Luke List, who has an 08:36 tee time (13:36 BST).
Sergio Garcia, who won the Masters in 2017, expects scoring to be significantly affected by the inclement conditions on day one.
The Spaniard said: “On a course like this, where you have to be so precise in every single shot that you hit, when you play with that amount of wind, it becomes very, very challenging.”
The weather is forecast to be brighter on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Rain severely disrupted last year’s tournament, with play stopped on Friday after three pine trees fell close to the 17th tee.
Several golfers were left with close to two rounds to play on the final day.
