Augusta National Golf Club put a halt to practice rounds for the Masters late Monday morning. Severe weather threats such as impactful storms and excessive rainfall had led to the call. The announcement came as spectators were being moved off the course. Deteriorating conditions raised safety issues for all those present on the field.
The forecast for the afternoon was calling for severe storms, with rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches predicted. Thunderstorms loomed over the two-day event, forcing Augusta National’s event management team to work quickly. In the face of rising waters, they announced that the course would be closed to spectators until Tuesday. Before this decision was announced, ticket holders for Monday’s practice session were told they could expect refunds.
Even if practice was canceled, the rest of the week’s forecast seemed much more favorable. Meteorologists were calling for mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the low 70s F (around 20-25 degrees C). This next bout of nice weather will be a much appreciated flip side to the extreme and dangerous conditions we often saw on Monday.
On Monday morning, the course was open to the public for the first 3½ hours. With the weather only getting worse, they needed to move fast and make the tough decision to close the grounds. Few players ventured out for practice rounds as they prepared for the prestigious tournament.
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