The elements could rain on golf's parade at Augusta National this weekend amid reports the 2023 Masters is at risk of suffering its first postponement since 1983.
Every edition of the tournament over the past 40 years has successfully finished on a Sunday as scheduled, but that may not be possible in the current climate. That's after The Weather Channel forecasted showers and potential thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday, followed by rain throughout most of the weekend.
According to the predictions, Thursday has the best odds of seeing playable conditions with only a 24 per cent chance of rain. However, that more than triples to 80 per cent on Friday followed by a 93 per cent chance of rain in Georgia on Saturday.
The first major of the year traditionally has the smallest field of any of the 'Big Four', leaving more room to adjust in the event of a delay. Almost 100 players usually attended Augusta up until the late 2010s when the field was reduced further to accommodate between 86 and 89 players.
The 1983 Masters was forced to finish on the Monday after heavy rain during the second round meant play had to be temporarily called off. Seve Ballesteros went on to lift that year's crown after winning by four strokes, the same margin of victory that saw him clinch his first Green Jacket three years earlier.
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Augusta hadn't witnessed a delayed finish for 10 years prior to that, and the tournament has managed to quadruple that feat this time around. At a time when innovation and modernisation are two fiercely contested topics in golf, however, the weather remains one aspect of the sport far beyond organisers' control.
Wet conditions have already affected competition in the area after the Augusta National Women's Amateur witnessed a three-hour delay this past Saturday. Last year's Masters was similarly threatened by rain just prior to the tournament, with the Tuesday practice round cancelled as a result.
In the event forecasts do prove accurate, it could prove advantageous to some of the heavier hitters in the field, particularly when it comes to using shorter irons to sit up on more forgiving greens. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is joint-favourite with defending champion Scottie Scheffler to finally end his wait for a Green Jacket, and wet weather could work in his favour.
LIV Golf rebel Dustin Johnson is another who stands to benefit in that scenario, having made the most of wet conditions in the week to wreak havoc on the field. The American even set a new tournament record with his 20-under-par winning score, finishing five strokes ahead of his nearest competition.
