Masters 2023 Weather Forecast: Clear skies, cool temperatures expected Sunday at Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Inclement weather suspended both Friday’s second round and Saturday’s third round at the 2023 Masters, but the weather seems poised to ease up for the first Major of the year to wrap up Sunday night. As the Augusta National Golf Club continues to monitor the skies to expedite play of this 87th Masters, clear skies and cool temperatures are forecast for Sunday.
That postlude was suspended at 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The Sunday forecast calls for clear skies with no chance of rain from 8 a.m., the expected recovery time, until the evening. Temperatures will range between 45 and 65 degrees, steady winds of around 10mph with gusts not expected to exceed 18mph throughout the day.
All in all, conditions should be dry. That’s a significant advantage considering the leaders who compete on Sunday will have 30 holes to play in around 12 hours. Brooks Koepka (-13) held a four-stroke lead over Jon Rahm (-9) before play resumed as each looks to win their first green jacket and tick off another leg at the career grand slam. Follow the Masters live rankings coverage throughout all of Sunday’s action.
Bad weather is nothing new for players and patrons at Augusta National as 48 of the 87 Masters have now experienced some form of rain. Last Saturday, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur finals were delayed more than three hours due to weather before Rose Zhang claimed the title.
In 2021, Hideki Matsuyama played video games during a 78-minute weather delay in the third round, only to then play his final eight holes in 6 under. From two behind to four ahead, that delay, and the game that followed when the wind dropped and Augusta National Golf Club was prone to birdies, was a stepping stone to Matsuyama’s triumph.
A similar story happened a year ago when the cold temperatures bothered the players during Saturday’s round. Badly affected by the chilly conditions, Tiger Woods signed for a 6-over-78 to gamble away his high hopes in his first competitive outing in over 500 days. Woods is similarly putting 6 overs through the first seven holes of his third round for what could lead to an all-time high at Augusta National.
Watch the final day of the 2023 Masters on Sunday master live As we follow the world’s best golfers through Augusta National with Featured Groups, check in at the famous Amen Corner and see the leaders at holes 15 and 16 around the corner. Watch live CBSSports.comThe CBS Sports App And Outstanding+.
Softer conditions on Friday and Saturday meant the newly extended par-5 13th, commonly known as the ‘Azalea’, played even longer than Thursday. With 545 yards on the scorecard, the 13th hole plays a pivotal role in this year’s tournament as players grapple with the decision to hit the green on their second shots or to ditch just short of Rae’s Creek.
When this scenario occurs, a double-edged sword presents itself. Most players hitting fairway woods and long irons into the green have already claimed that they will be playing all four days of the competition. But when those fairway woods and long irons enter a more vulnerable green complex and controlling spin on a wedge shot becomes more difficult, that decision becomes cloudy.
“I disagree that it’s less exciting,” Spieth said. “I think you’ve heard mixed reviews. Some people say more, some say less. I mean I think if you get stuck between you and get more chaos you’ll get more beach balls than men hitting 7 irons in the middle of the green why isn’t that more exciting? It’s not very exciting when someone’s 7 iron, 8 in the middle of the green and 2 putts. You want to see someone hit it further away or a harder shot. I don’t know if it’s a better or worse hole; it’s a different hole and I think you’ll have to determine if it’s more or less exciting. When it’s warmer, it’s more exciting; but when it’s so cool it might just be a lot of layups. But we will see.
