US Masters 2024: Weather delays start of round one

The opening round of the 2024 US Masters has been delayed due to bad weather, with play not starting until 3.30pm BST.

The forecast all week has called for heavy rain, heavy wind and thunderstorms to coincide with the start of Thursday's play, forcing a delay of at least an hour, with play eventually getting underway at 3.30pm.

Thunderstorms were forecast until around 4pm BST, but thankfully, most of the worst weather has held off.

Though the rain subsided to allow play to commence, players will spend Thursday and some of Friday contesting windy conditions.

The delay means that that round one won't be completed until Friday morning, potentially pushing tee times back further, with the latest starters probably stopping somewhere around Amen Corner.

While rain is forecast for Friday, a full day's play is expected, meaning the first two rounds could be completed by Friday evening, allowing for a 36-hole cut and a full day's play to start on Saturday.

The scenes at Augusta are reminiscent of last year's tournament, where a deluge caused significant delays in play, severely lengthening what is already a long course.

The delays rolled into Sunday, where the final groups - including eventual champion Jon Rahm - had to play 30 holes on the final day to avoid a Monday finish.

Liam Williams

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