Masters weather: Thunderstorms, high winds could disrupt play Saturday at Augusta

So far, the 2021 Masters has gone off without a hitch (unless of course your name is Si Woo Kim, Matt Wolff, or Abe Ancer). Bluebird skies combined with little more than a breeze have greeted players and patrons alike through Friday at Augusta National.

Weather has not been much of a factor at all, though the course’s fiery and fast greens have provided plenty defense on their own. But that all could change on Saturday, with thunderstorms and high winds in the forecast for the third round. Here’s what you need to know about the Masters weather forecast for Saturday:

Masters Weather Forecast for Saturday’s Third Round

For the purposes of this post, we’re going to focus on the official forecast released by Masters tournament officials early Saturday morning. According to the powers-that-be at Augusta National, clouds will blanket the skies all day, but the afternoon is when things start getting interesting.

News

The forecast states that players will face “increasing winds as a weather system steadily approaches from the west.” By 1 p.m. ET, temperatures will have risen to the high 70s, with winds reaching 10-15 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. The chance of precipitation is only 20%, but that changes as the clock continues to tick.

By the time the Justin Rose and Will Zalatoris tee off in the final pairing at 2:20 p.m. ET, the chance of rain showers or thunderstorms increases to 40%, with wind gusts reaching 25 mph. By 5 p.m. ET, the forecast calls for a 60% chance of showers or thunderstorms, and it doesn’t decrease much through the rest of the round.

What does this all mean? First, all players will have to contend with more wind than in the first two rounds, especially considering the tendency for swirling winds to cut across the course at Augusta and befuddle contestants. But the late starters will face the worst of it. The greens could become more receptive with the rain, at least before the club’s SubAir system gets to work, but the high winds should cause plenty of headaches.

Lifestyle

If the leaders’ scores suffer because of the wind and rain, the leaderboard could tighten up significantly, or an early stater could go on a run and find himself the unlikely leader by day’s end.

In the worst case scenario, thunderstorms roll in and stick around for the afternoon, forcing a suspension of play. If the thunder and lightning does arrive, a good portion of the field might have to finish up their third rounds Sunday morning.

You can check out full tee times for the third round below.

2021 Masters Round 3 tee times (All times ET)

Tee No. 1

9:40 a.m. – Ian Poulter, Paul Casey
9:50 a.m. – Adam Scott, Sebastian Munoz
10:00 a.m. – Billy Horschel, Phil Mickelson
10:10 a.m. – Jason Kokrak, Francesco Molinari
10:20 a.m. – Webb Simpson, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
10:30 a.m. – Jim Herman, Joaquin Niemann
10:40 a.m. – Matt Wallace, Louis Oosthuizen
10:50 a.m. – Patrick Reed, Jose Maria Olazabal
11:00 a.m. – Charl Schwartzel, Harris English
11:20 a.m. – Tyrrell Hatton, Scottie Scheffler
11:30 a.m. – Kevin Na, Gary Woodland
11:40 a.m. – Jon Rahm, Martin Laird
11:50 a.m. – Abraham Ancer, Bubba Watson
12:00 p.m. – Henrik Stenson, Brendon Todd
12:10 p.m. – Matthew Fitzpatrick, Michael Thompson
12:20 p.m. – Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood
12:30 p.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Robert MacIntyre
12:40 p.m. – Stewart Cink, Viktor Hovland
1:00 p.m. – Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Jones
1:10 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners
1:20 p.m. – Ryan Palmer, Cameron Smith
1:30 p.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele
1:40 p.m. – Si Woo Kim, Cameron Champ
1:50 p.m. – Tony Finau, Justin Thomas
2:00 p.m. – Jordan Spieth, Bernd Wiesberger
2:10 p.m. – Brian Harman, Marc Leishman
2:20 p.m. – Justin Rose, Will Zalatoris