By Joshua Picklesimer
Since azaleas and dogwoods started blooming fairly early this year in the CSRA, veteran patrons have been worried about what is termed a “green” Masters, meaning blooming flowers would be past their peak the week of the tournament.
However, now there is another weather-related concern. The weather forecast for the four days of the Masters tournament(April 6-9) is looking like it’s going to be wet and cold for three of the four days.
Augusta National Golf Course is known for its unique holes from Amen Corner to the legendary 18th green. When it comes to the greens, they are known to make the ball run, with high readings on the Stimpmeter.
With the wet weather and wind coming in, golfers will have to adjust to the cool, soggy conditions. The golfers have been practicing already for a few days with wet greens as rain has been on and off in the Augusta area.
Although the weather for Wednesday is going to be almost perfect conditions for the par-3 contest, golfers are going to have to make sure they don’t get used to that when playing because if they come out and play the same way Thursday through Sunday, then the results may be a lot different.
Right now, the National Weather Service is calling for highs in the mid-80s on Thursday, but then the rain will come in Friday. The temperatures will begin to tumble. Lows Saturday and Sunday morning will be in the high 40s.
Wednesday the high will be a balmy 87 degrees, and on Sunday,when it’s raining, it will be 62 degrees. This will be a drastic change in temperature and in how the greens will play.
Golfers like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy will benefit not only because of their skilled short games but also their experience on the course.
Keep an eye on the Masters Saturday and Sunday because it could be a bumpy ride.
Meanwhile, Augusta National announced that defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will play with Max Homa (Farmers Insurance winner in January) and U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett the first two days. McIlroy, ranked second in the world, will play with Tom Kim and Sam Burns. World No. 3 Jon Rahm will play with Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.
Five-time champion Woods will play with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele. Another strong trio features 2015 champion Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood (tied 14th last year) and Tony Finau (three top-10 finishes in Augusta).
Defending U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is paired with Collin Morikawa and Will Zalatoris. Hideki Matsuyama (the 2021 Masters champion) will play with Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im. Smith, the defending British Open champion, has been close several times in the last five years in the Masters. The Australian now plays on the LIV tour and is ranked fifth in the world. Im is ranked 18th in the world.
