Masters weather forecast: First round at Augusta expected to see rain, possible thunderstorms

Don’t be day-dreaming of Augusta azaleas just yet. There’s an overwhelming chance of rain to open Thursday’s opening round of the Masters.

In fact, weather forecasters say there’s a 90 percent chance of rain, with some thunderstorms. It all could drench Augusta Thursday morning. Wind gusts could blow at up to 45 miles per hour. PGA officials said that tee times for Thursday could be pushed back through the day, with the first round possibly finished up on Friday.

Here’s the official Masters weather update:

“A cold front is forecast to bring a band of rain and scattered thunderstorms through the region between 6 a.m.-1 p.m. ET Thursday. Heavy rainfall and occasional wind gusts of 40-45 mph are anticipated over this period. A lull in precipitation should occur behind the cold front between 1-4 p.m. ET before scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms drift back into the region for the late afternoon and evening hours.

“Windy conditions persist Friday under mostly sunny skies as a dry and stable airmass settles into the area. Mostly sunny skies can be expected through the weekend with west to southwesterly winds in the 7-15 mph range.”

Masters weather should perk up for weekend

But by Friday, temperatures will start getting warmer. By mid-afternoon, Sunday, temperatures will be in the lower-to-mid 80s as the potential Masters winner walks up the 18th green at Augusta National.

Rain and storms were an underlying theme to last year’s Masters. But Mother Nature waited until Friday to drench the course. The second round was continued into Saturday. And golfers finished the third round, Sunday, before the start of the fourth. As the Tour noted, eventual champion Jon Rahm played 30 holes on the final day to claim his first green jacket.

Of course, golfers deal with bad weather all the time, especially in the early spring as late-season cool fronts roll into humid air.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy grouped together for first 2 rounds

If the storms hold off, then the first pairing will tee off at 8 a.m. Eastern Time. South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen will play with American Jake Knapp, who is making his Masters debut, in group one.

Scottie Scheffler, who won in 2022, is the overwhelming favorite to pick up up his second green jacket. He’s the world’s top-ranked golfer and he’ll tee off at 10:42 a.m. This is the group to watch for the first two days.

Rory McIlroy, who needs a Masters title to finish a career Grand Slam, is with Scheffler, as is Xander Schauffele. The sportsbook FanDuel lists Scheffler as the favorite at +430. Oddsmakers like McIlroy at +1200. He has the second-best odds after Scheffler. Schauffele is at +1800. You can find the rest of the odds here.

Meanwhile, Rahm gets on the course at 10 a.m. He’s with Matt Fitzpatrick and Nick Dunlap.

All eyes likely will be on Tiger Woods. He tees off at 1:24 p.m. He’ll play with Max Homa and Jason Day. To see all the times and pairings, click it here.