sport news Can The Masters finish on a Monday as thunderstorms cause a delay to the ... trends now
One of the sporting world's most prestigious events is due to get underway on Thursday - but all is not right on the Augusta National Golf Course.
The storied competition has decided to delay all gate openings on day one after heavy thunderstorms have threatened the competition's start time.
With the great and the good of golf set to descend on Georgia, including last year's winner Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Tiger Woods, the four-day format of the Masters could yet be under fire.
But how bad is the forecast? And could the timings of the event be shifted?
Here, Mail Sport explains how weather could impact the crowning of a new Masters champion.
The 2024 Masters has seen its opening day delayed due to heavy thunderstorms in Augusta
The tournament is supposed to run between Thursday and Sunday - but could reach Monday
Tiger Woods is among the great and the good of golf preparing to tee off at Augusta National
If things had gone according to plan, the first group on the first day were set to tee off around 8am EST local time in Georgia (5am PST / 7am CST / 1pm BST), with the final group expected to begin their opening round from 2pm EST local time (11am PST / 1pm CST / 7pm BST).
This would have meant that the last finishers of the day would probably have finished their last hole around 7pm EST (4pm PST / 6pm CST / Midnight BST).
The organisers released a statement late last night which said that instead, play will start no earlier than 9am EST local time, but this could be subject to even more change should the weather not clear up.
Could the 2024 Masters finish on a Monday?While the competition normally reaches its thrilling conclusion on the final day of the tournament - Sunday - it could be that delayed and staggered tee-off times means that play spills into next week.
