Weather often hinders play
Web posted 04/08/00
Saturday's third round of the 64th edition was no different, as play was suspended for a little more than two hours. After a short rain shower, play resumed.
This time, though, the rain wasn't the problem. High winds, gusting more than 40 mph at times, caused scores to balloon.
Look back at tournament history, though, and you'll see a pattern of weather delays. Although an entire round hasn't been canceled since 1983, when the tournament finished on a Monday, six of the past 10 tournaments have been hit by rain.
Blame the tournament's traditional early spring starting time for the inconsistent weather.
In the tournament's early days, it was held in late March. It's little wonder that weather brought havoc, causing delays in three of the first six events.
In 1936, heavy rain forced eventual winner Horton Smith to play 36 holes on the final day. Two years later, the tournament didn't even start until Saturday. Thirty-six holes were played Sunday that year, with the final round held Monday. The 1939 tournament featured a final-day Sunday with 36 holes.
Longtime tournament observers said Saturday's winds rivaled those in 1956, when amateur Ken Venturi lost a final-round lead of eight strokes. Jack Burke Jr.'s 72-hole total of 289 is tied for the highest in Masters history.
Heavy rains also washed out play for an entire day in 1961 and 1973.
