Monday play isn't expected
Stewart Cink stirred Saturday morning to a disheartening premonition.
"I woke up with about an 85 percent certainty we were going to get rain and a delay," he said.
He was right. At 1 p.m., thunderstorms delayed third-round play for 4 hours, 18 minutes.
Play resumed at 5:20 p.m., but 36 of the 47 players could not complete the third round Saturday. Darkness suspended play at about 7:40.
"Well, we all saw this coming," Rod Pampling said. "The weather guys had been saying watch out all week for Saturday because it could get wet.
"Well, it's Saturday. And guess what? We've got rain. There's not much we all can do about it."
The storms ran the Masters' postponement streak to five consecutive years and marked the seventh time in eight years the tournament has had at least one weather delay.
This year's tournament is expected to finish today. The forecast is for mostly sunny skies with a 20 percent chance of rain.
The Masters has finished on Monday only four times in its 70-year history, the last time in 1983.
Saturday's rain made Augusta National's treacherous greens vulnerable late in the afternoon.
Leader Chad Campbell was among those who made multiple birdies once play resumed.
"The greens are really soft and you can really go for the flag," said Jose Maria Olazabal, who shot 1-under-par 71 to get to 2 over for the tournament.
Many players don't expect the greens to be so accommodating today. Augusta National is equipped with a SubAir system, which is essentially a wet-vac built under the greens and fairways.
The system hummed throughout Saturday's late play, and the golfers said they expect to find firm, fast greens when play resumes at 7:45 this morning.
"The SubAir will take all of that moisture out of there tonight," said Rocco Mediate, who is a shot back and tied for second place. "It will still be a little softer, but it won't be mushy."
Reach Adam Van Brimmer (404) 589-8424 or at adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.
