Weather map shows 750-mile stormfront set to batter Masters this afternoon in Tiger Woods blow

The 2024 Masters has got off to an ominous start with rain delaying the honorary tee-offs with further deterioration expected in the afternoon – just before Tiger Woods tees off

A 750-mile-long storm is expected to hammer Augusta this afternoon, further hampering the 2024 Masters and Tiger Woods ‘ chances.

Weather maps show the storm coming in from the southeast of the country and moving up towards New York City. Masters organisers were forced to delay the start on Thursday after part of it moved in overnight.

The honorary tee-off, hosted by legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson, was pushed back from 7.40am local time to 10.10am. Play commenced shortly after, with England’s Danny Willett getting off to a fine start and birdieing the first two holes.

However, with everyone’s tee times pushed back by two-and-a-half hours there is a real danger Woods – now due to tee off at 3.54pm (8.54pm UK time) will not complete his round. That is because at 3pm local time the weather is expected to be hit again by the huge storm.

According to a weather map on WXCharts, Augusta will experience a huge downpour just prior to Woods’ tee time. At 6pm, however, Augusta will only be on the very fringe of the storm.

This is less than ideal for the five-time green jacket owner, who will not relish the thought of trying to play more than 18 holes to catch up on Friday. Woods is only playing in his second event of 2024 after coming back from ankle fusion surgery.

His body now takes a huge strain when playing, with other parts making up for the ankle’s lack of strength and stability. Augusta National is a hilly course and the 48-year-old will require as much time as possible between rounds to recover. If he is forced to play any remaining holes on Friday morning and then head back out again in the afternoon he could be in a spot of bother.

As flags blow hard in the wind at Augusta on Thursday, there is good news for the rest of the weekend. Weather maps show Augusta will be totally clear from Friday through to Sunday, with highs of 84F (28C) expected on Sunday.

Organisers were forced to work through the night and move quickly, with their last statement proving to be the one that got play started. It read: “The first round will begin at 10:30 a.m. off the No. 1 tee. Updated tee times are available. The Honorary Starters Ceremony will begin at 10:10 a.m. Patron gates will open at 9:30 a.m.”

American Luke List, who is from Augusta, spoke about the storm on Wednesday. But he remained calm, stating: “Not much we can do about it. It’s kind of just see how much it dumps and how it will change.”