Masters competitors weren't the only ones scrambling Saturday between the conclusion of the weather-delayed second round and the start of the third round.

A staff of about 125 course maintenance and horticulture workers at Augusta National Golf Club had about 90 minutes to get the course ready for play.

The second round was delayed by rain Friday, and 38 players had to come back to the course Saturday morning to complete their rounds. They were supposed to start at 7:45 a.m., but an additional one-half inch of rain overnight pushed back play to 9 a.m.

The final group didn't finish until shortly after 11 a.m., and the crews had until 12:30 p.m. to get the course ready. Tournament officials decided the 45 players who made the cut would be sent off from both the first and 10th tees, the first time that has been done at the Masters since 1982.

Many players felt the course was borderline unplayable, and some thought a lift-clean-and-place rule should be enacted.

"I know it is the Masters, but I don't know how they can't play the ball up," Chris DiMarco said. "It is casual water everywhere. You have to play it up."

Others disagreed.

"It is playable, but I don't know about playing it down," defending champion Tiger Woods said after completing his second round Saturday morning.

Among the tasks the grounds crew performed were:

• Setting new pin placements on all holes and moving tee markers on some holes;

• Putting pine straw and sand in all the crosswalks;

• Squeegeeing all the fairways and greens;

• Raking all the bunkers;

• Mowing greens and making sure all were consistent for tournament play;

• Checking and repairing mulch areas.

Some crosswalk areas were closed, and a few of the paved cart paths were converted to crosswalks to help spectators keep their footing. The overnight rain, on top of the accumulation from earlier in the week, made the Augusta National layout the soggiest it has been in recent memory.

The Augusta National maintenance and horticulture staff normally numbers 65 people, but 60 extra people are on hand this week to help out during the tournament.

Carts were not allowed on grass areas, except for first aid personnel.

"They did a great job," Jesper Parnevik said of the grounds crew. "I thought it was going to be unplayable, and it was playable."

The muddy conditions were not typical of the Masters, two-time winner Ben Crenshaw said Saturday.

"It is hardly ever like this. Not too many years it has been this way," said Crenshaw, who missed the 36-hole cut. "You don't like to see it like this. It doesn't play as interesting."