Masters Weather Update: Play to Begin at 10:30

UPDATE 2: “The first round will begin at 10:30 a.m. off the No. 1 tee. The Honorary Starters Ceremony will begin at 10:10 a.m. Patron gates will open at 9:30 a.m.”

UPDATE: “We continue to monitor the weather closely. Gate openings and tee times have been delayed until further notice. The first round will not begin before 9 a.m.”

Original Story:
What's a Masters week without a little Masters weather concern? With severe weather expected to move through Augusta overnight, gates have been delayed for Thursday morning.

Masters officials said that all gate openings will be delayed for patrons in the morning, but they have not set an opening time yet.

"Due to forecasted weather on Thursday, we have decided to delay all gate openings in the morning. All Masters free parking will be closed until further notice while gate openings are delayed. Further updates will be shared no later than 5 a.m. via Masters.com and social channels."

Radar shows a large weather system moving into the Augusta area starting around midnight tonight. So far, no announcements have been made about delays to the start time, but officials said they will update by 5 a.m. Current radar shows rain clearing by mid-day.

Bob Harig of the Associated Press said officials plan to make further decisions by 3 a.m.

Currently, the first round of the 2024 Masters is supposed to begin at 8 a.m., with honorary starters set at 7:40 a.m.

Last year, storms caused major Masters weather delays and issues, particularly on Friday, when trees fell on the course. That caused a suspension of play, but normal play resumed on Saturday morning.

We've said it before, and we'll say it again, the Masters Par 3 Contest at Augusta National Golf Club offers up the cutest - and basically the best - photos you'll see all weekend - and 2024's event didn't disappoint.

It's one of the best traditions for Masters Week, when families of the golfers turn into caddies (and sometimes even players) for a fun-filled 9-hole mini tournament on the Par 3 course adjacent to the main course.

That means you've got adorable little ones running all over the place, and spouses and girlfriends making for some memorable moments.

The Contest itself ended with Rickie Fowler winning the tournament at 5-under par. It was good to see Fowler back playing good golf, after years of falling off.

However, it should be noted that the Par 3 winner has never won the big Tournament in the same week. That "curse" makes it so many of the players end up with no official final score, as they let their loved ones take some of their shots for them.

That's what ends up helping make for some of the best photos. Here's a look at some of our favorite from the Par 3 Contest at the 2024 Masters Tournament that gets underway Thursday, at Augusta National Golf Club. Take a look.