Gloves, stocking caps and thick jackets were the order of the day at the Masters Tournament on Saturday.

Ian Poulter was among the many golfers affected by the unseasonably cold weather that whipped through Augusta and drove up players' scores. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)

Unseasonably chilly weather marked the third round of the event. Players awoke to freezing temperatures, and the high reached only the low 50s in the afternoon as wind gusts hit 23 mph, according to Augusta National Golf Club.

The final groups putted out on No. 18 in wind-chill temperatures in the 30s.

"I can't remember it ever being this cold this time of year," said Vaughn Taylor, who is from Augusta. "We usually get a cold spell late in the spring, but I've never seen it quite this cold."

Bad weather and the Masters has become a tradition. Rain has affected four of every seven events since 1934. But cold, windy weather? The last time that happened was in 2000.

That year, high winds, gusting more than 40 mph at times, and a two-hour rain delay frustrated golfers during the third round of the Masters. Eleven players managed to break par that day, while just two cracked 70 (Tiger Woods and Davis Love each shot 68). Vijay Singh put together a solid 70 and went on to win his first green jacket.

Augusta National Golf Club experienced similar conditions Saturday.

A course worker changes the flags on No. 5 because one of the flags would not stay put as the gusty winds that plagued players and fans alike. Today's final round also will be chilly. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff)

"I grew up in Connecticut, and this is like what I grew up playing in. It feels like late fall," J.J. Henry said.

According to weather.gov, Augusta endured a freeze warning early Saturday morning. Another freeze warning has been issued for this morning.

The weather is expected to slightly improve today, with the high reaching 57 accompanied by mild winds.

The early April arctic blast affected the players.

"It didn't used to be where the cold air bothers me," Fuzzy Zoeller said after shooting 79 in the third round. "Now it bothers me a bit. The bones don't seem to want to move like they used to when it's cold like this."

This isn't the first week of the year for tough weather, however.

In 13 weeks on the PGA Tour this season, there have been six interruptions in play because of inclement weather. At three events (including February's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Ariz.), there have been frost delays.

Masters history shows a pattern of weather delays. Although a Monday finish hasn't been necessary since 1983, rain hit the tournament every year from 1998-2006.

In 1936, heavy rain forced eventual winner Horton Smith to play 36 holes on the final day, Monday. 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 in 2000 rivaled those in 1956, when amateur Ken Venturi lost a big final-round lead. Jack Burke Jr.'s 72-hole total of 289 that year is tied for the highest winning score in Masters history.

Heavy rains also washed out play for an entire day in 1961, 1973 and 2003.

"It's definitely unexpected, how cold it's been," golfer Robert Karlsson said. "But the last few years it's been all rain, so I guess it's one or the other. If it would be like this but with no wind, it would be better.

"But it's absolutely brutal out there."