Masters underway but rain starts

The 67th US Masters finally got underway today, but more rain was soon falling on the saturated Augusta National course.

The opening day of the first major of the year was washed out for the first time in 64 years on Thursday after almost four inches of rain since Sunday, Monday’s practice day also wiped out.

That meant a change from the traditional one-tee start to players starting from the first and 10th tees this morning, with the start time brought forward to 7.30am local time.

Floodlights still blazed behind the first tee when 1988 champion Sandy Lyle hit the first shot of the day, American Bob Estes teeing off from the 10th at the same time.

In the absence of the traditional honorary starters following the death last year of three-time winner Sam Snead, Lyle was alongside veteran former champions Charles Coody, 65, and Tommy Aaron, 66.

And unsurprisingly the Scot had a major advantage in distance over the American pair. Aaron was some 70 yards behind Lyle on the first and needed a fairway wood for his second shot to the 435-yard par four.

He and Coody were unable to make par, but Lyle was lucky his tee shot stopped short of the fairway bunker by just three feet, and he two-putted for par from 20 feet.

The last time a whole day was lost was in 1983 when the second day’s play was wiped out, and a Monday finish was necessary before Seve Ballesteros could claim his second green jacket.

With a light drizzle falling, Ballesteros was out in the group behind Lyle and also made par after hitting a typical recovery shot under the trees on the right side of the hole.