Getty Images
Masters Friday is officially over.
Strong thunderstorms have forced Augusta National to suspend the second round of the Masters for the rest of the day. Play will resume Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET. There are still 39 golfers, just under half the field, left to complete the second round, including Tiger Woods, who is battling to make the cut.
The tournament was suspended twice on Friday, first for just 21 minutes at 3:07 p.m. due to inclement weather, but players and patrons were not asked to leave their place on the course during the delay.
After a resumption of just 54 minutes, play was suspended again at 4:22 p.m. after strong winds toppled three trees on the 17th tee.
Thankfully, Augusta National confirmed that no patrons, players or other tournament volunteers were injured, but announced play was suspended for the rest of the day due to the inclement weather.
Maintenance crews could already be seen on the broadcast starting to remove the trees from the 17th tee with chainsaws.
Radar showed several strong thunderstorms around Augusta National during the suspension and it had begun to rain at the golf course.
As with Friday’s weather report from the tournament, Saturday’s extended forecast raises the possibility of a Monday finish. Temperatures are expected to fall about 30 degrees from Friday, topping out at 51 degrees with a 100 percent chance of rain that could be heavy at times. Estimated rainfall accumulations are one to two inches.
The Masters has not had a Monday finish since 1983.