First Round Is a Wash at Augusta

Ernie Els took one last look at the rain puddling at his feet just before he took cover in the locker room at Augusta National Golf Club.

“I’ve never seen weather like this in a major,” he said.

Welcome to Water World, or whatever you want to call the rain-drenched 67th Masters, where the first round was called off Thursday for the first time since 1939. The last time any round of the Masters couldn’t be played because of rain was 1983, when the second round was washed out.

“I told friends last year that I’d never seen it like this,” Lee Janzen said. “I said, ‘You’ll never see it like this again.’ I was wrong. It’s worse this year. I think the guys are prepared to play Monday.”

If the weather cooperates, and the forecast says there’s a chance it will, then the first and second rounds will be played today. That makes it a strength-sapping, 36-hole marathon on a difficult course made even tougher because of the conditions.

Maybe it won’t turn out to be that tough after all, said Padraig Harrington.

“Anyone playing well will have some adrenaline, so 36 won’t be a problem,” he said. “But 36 holes if you’re grinding is hard. If you can’t get up for the Masters, you shouldn’t be here.”

The decision not to play probably was the only one tournament officials could make. Nearly four inches of rain have fallen since Monday morning, and the course wasn’t able to handle any more water.

Tiger Woods never left his rented home to come to the course.

“Evidently, they felt it was unplayable,” Woods said.

The Masters utilizes a three-year-old underground system of tubes that forces air down through the greens to drain water. Will Nicholson, chairman of the competition committee, said the greens are soft, but they don’t have much water. The fairways are much more wet and their condition is what forced the postponement.

“The greens are fine,” Jay Haas said. “The rest of the course is saturated. There’s no place for the water to go.”

Regardless of the condition of the course, Nicholson said there is no chance that lift, clean and place rules would be used to allow the players to clean mud from their golf balls.

No one was surprised by that decision, especially Chris DiMarco.

“There would be a woman member here before that happens,” he said.

Bad weather played havoc with the scheduled first round, beginning Wednesday night when Masters officials decided to push back the start by 30 minutes. Then on Thursday, an 11 a.m. start was established, only to be scrubbed entirely when the appointed time rolled around.

Twice before the Masters has been forced into playing 36 holes in one day because of rain. In 1936, they played 36 holes on the final day, the same as in 1939. In 1961, 1973 and 1983, rain washed out one round of play and the Masters was decided Monday.

The first round will begin at 7:30 a.m. EDT from the first and 10th tees. The second round is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., also from both tees.

No one is brave enough to say that all players will finish 36 holes today.

“I have a hard time thinking we will get it in,” DiMarco said. “What I do know is that it’s going to be a long day and you just have to deal with it.”

Nicholson would say only that there is an outside chance of the first two rounds being completed today. He said Masters officials will do everything they can to complete the tournament Sunday, but some players are skeptical.

“They’ll do whatever they can to finish 72 holes, even if we have to play on Tuesday,” Els said.

“The good thing about it is the whole field will be playing in the same position. I’m sure the greens crew and maintenance crew will do everything they can. The back nine Wednesday, some of the fairways were under water. So they probably made the right decision.”

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Because of the rescheduled first and second rounds, USA Network has expanded its coverage today. The telecast begins at 11 a.m. PDT and continues until the end of the round.