First round delayed by storms

Adam Candee

Thursday, April 7, 2005 | 10:44 a.m.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The conventional wisdom at Augusta National this week holds that nothing can prevent one of the so-called "Big Four" from winning the Masters.

Nothing, that is, except the rain that seems to snap at the ankles of the PGA Tour this year like an ill-tempered schnauzer.

Tee times at the Masters were pushed back 5 1/2 hours today as thunderstorms continue to sweep through northeastern Georgia, and as of 1:30 p.m. EDT, officials were still waiting to begin the tournament.

The start of play today and Friday was scheduled to go off at both No. 1 and No. 10, a highly unusual move at Augusta that speaks to the strong desire of Masters officials to end the tournament by Sunday. The 93-player starting field at the Masters is much smaller than a normal PGA Tour event, so the move to two tees is likely to accomplish that goal.

Without the move to two starting tees, the delayed start would have forced the final group of John Daly, Shigeki Maruyama and Jesper Parnevik to tee off at 6:25 p.m. The storms twice temporarily knocked out power here, but it was quickly restored.

Weather is stopping play on the PGA Tour for the fourth consecutive week. It is not surprising to see the wet climate affecting the Masters, as rain has fallen in each of the past eight years and in 40 of 69 tournaments. Only eight days of play have been washed out, last happening in 2003 when the first round was postponed and players went 36 holes Friday.

The forecast becomes slightly better overnight, with the chance of storms down to 50 percent for Friday. The rest of the weekend is predicted to be sunny and rain-free.

With the course expected to soften and slow because of the storms, the list of those capable of winning the Masters likely shrinks to the bigger hitters among the best players. The world's four top-ranked players -- Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson -- are expected to benefit the most from the soft course conditions.

There are five green jackets in that group, with only Els still seeking his first Masters victory.