Rainy Augusta pushes Masters opening tee time to 10:30 a.m. ET

Field Level Media|published: 04/11/2024, 9:19am EDT

Gary Woodland hits out of a bunker on no. 10 during a practice round for The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Apr 5, 2023. credits: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Masters was delayed by rain with the first tee times pushed back to 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday at Augusta National.

Light rain and wind fell at daybreak in Augusta, Ga., and the day-old forecast for severe weather and thunderstorms during the opening round changed to light precipitation and winds gusting to 30 mph.

Erik Van Rooyen of South Africa and Jake Knapp, who won the Mexico Open, had the honors of being first on the tee box Thursday.

American Gary Woodland said Wednesday after the Par-3 Contest that Augusta National was in pristine, nearly perfect condition and he was hopeful rain wouldn't impact the course.

"The golf course is hard enough without the weather. It's as good as I've seen it, to be honest," Woodland said. "The golf course is absolutely perfect, so hopefully some of the rain misses it. It's firm and fast now. Absolutely perfect."

Spain's Sergio Garcia noted the course presents unique challenges when winds are up.

"There's no doubt with as high as these pine trees are, sometimes it becomes tricky to know exactly where the wind is," Garcia said Wednesday after the par-3 contest.

—Field Level Media