With severe thunderstorms in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, Masters officials took the unusual step of moving up tee times for the final round.
Players will tee off in threesomes beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday from the Nos. 1 and 10th tees. The leaders will tee off at 9:20 a.m. with CBS’ live broadcast coverage beginning at 9 a.m. Before the broadcast starts, coverage is available on Masters.com.
After a third-round 67, Tiger Woods will be in the final group with leader Francesco Molinari and Tony Finau teeing off at 9:20 a.m. Woods was asked on the CBS broadcast about the early tee time and how the Masters will be different Sunday. He said he’d be getting up at 3:45 or 4 a.m. to start preparing his body.
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It’s been 36 years since the Masters finished on a Monday. In 1983, the second round was completed Sunday at 8:30 a.m. due to storms, with the third round beginning at 10:54 a.m. Seve Ballesteros opened his final round with a birdie-eagle-par-birdie to finish with a 69 for a four-shot victory over Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite.
“The safety of everyone on our grounds is paramount,” said Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, in a statement released Saturday afternoon.
“We also believe the earlier start will give us the best opportunity to complete the Masters on Sunday. This decision should benefit everyone – the players, our patrons and our fans watching around the world. Given the competitiveness and drama of this year’s Tournament, we look forward to an exciting conclusion tomorrow.”
Sunday’s forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms beginning at 3 p.m., with an 85 percent chance at 4 p.m. and winds gusting up to 15 mph, according to the Weather Channel.
