Augusta: The estimated crowd of 50,000 who streamed into the first official day of practice here at the 81st Masters on Monday had their enjoyment curtailed just after lunch by a tornado warning which forced the immediate evacuation of the course and caused play to be called off for the day.
“We are in the area of a tornado warning and we are shutting the course down,” an official said.
“The course will be shut down for the entire day.”
A thunderstorm forced an earlier suspension, with the course closed for more than an hour.
Gusting winds blew driving rain across the layout as players and spectators made a hasty move for cover once the alert was raised.
Later, the National Weather Service said the area should be on the lookout for devastating winds.
A mother and her three-year-old daughter were killed when a tornado tore through Louisiana on Sunday.
Storms are battering much of the United States, with more than an inch of rain expected to fall on the Augusta National.
Not every player was at the course, with England’s Justin Rose one of those electing to arrive on Tuesday, but players keen to step up their preparation lost significant time.
“I’m just glad I played a practice round (Sunday),” Lee Westwood said.
The forecast for Tuesday was much better, with only a 10 per cent chance of rain, but Wednesday, however, more thunderstorms were predicted, with a 100 per cent chance of rain.
The outlook is not much better for the first two rounds of the tournament on Thursday and Friday, which may be dry, but with winds of up to 25mph.
The forecast is perfect for the weekend. Jason Day has made a welcome return to the fairways.
A tearful world No. 3 withdrew after just six holes of the WGC Matchplay two weeks ago to be with his mother, who underwent an operation for lung cancer.
The Australian said at the time that he did not know whether he would play here, and there was still a doubt until last week.
However, the surgery to remove a quarter of his mother’s lung was deemed a “success”.
“Golf was the last thing that I was ever thinking about, but I’m in a much better place now,” Day said.
“Being able to be here this year is a special week, not only for me being here but to have my mom in safe hands. “This year I’ve been kind of lost. My emotions are feeling high some days. Then some days you’re feeling bad because of the situation. And then other days you’re feeling guilty because you’re not feeling bad enough. It’s really strange.”
