Can The Masters finish on a Monday as thunderstorms cause a delay to the opening round of the tournament at Augusta National?

One of the sporting world's most prestigious events is due to get underway on Thursday - but all is not right on the Augusta National Golf Course. 

The storied competition has decided to delay all gate openings on day one after heavy thunderstorms have threatened the competition's start time. 

With the great and the good of golf set to descend on Georgia, including last year's winner Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Tiger Woods, the four-day format of the Masters could yet be under fire. 

But how bad is the forecast? And could the timings of the event be shifted? 

Here, Mail Sport explains how weather could impact the crowning of a new Masters champion.  

How will the timings of the 2024 Masters be affected? 

If things had gone according to plan, the first group on the first day were set to tee off around 8am EST local time in Georgia (5am PST / 7am CST / 1pm BST), with the final group expected to begin their opening round from 2pm EST local time (11am PST / 1pm CST / 7pm BST).

This would have meant that the last finishers of the day would probably have finished their last hole around 7pm EST (4pm PST / 6pm CST / Midnight BST). 

The organisers released a statement late last night which said that instead, play will start no earlier than 9am EST local time, but this could be subject to even more change should the weather not clear up.  

Could the 2024 Masters finish on a Monday? 

While the competition normally reaches its thrilling conclusion on the final day of the tournament - Sunday - it could be that delayed and staggered tee-off times means that play spills into next week. 

This looked like a possibility last year, when second-round play came under fire from difficult conditions, and play was suspended on Saturday. But Sunday saw clearer conditions, and Rahm could scoop the top prize that day as planned. 

Has this happened before? 

In the 88-year history of the Masters, there have been just five occasions where the Green Jacket winner has been decided on the fifth day of competition.

The last time this happened was in 1983, after Augusta National was buffeted with heavy rainfall for the first three days of the tournament. 

Legendary golfer Seve Ballesteros claimed the Green Jacket in extra-time, winning his second Masters inside four years. 

Previous Monday finishes have taken place in 1938, 1938, 1961, and 1973. 

What is the forecast for the rest of the weekend? 

Heavy rain has been falling throughout Wednesday evening and is set to continue into Thursday morning, with thunderstorms set to roll in around the time when the first group were expecting to be getting underway. 

Winds of up to 45mph have also been forecast, although the weather is expected to improve heading into the weekend.  

When will the organisers release more information? 

After delaying the gate openings and tee times, the Masters' organisers have said that this will be the case 'until further notice'. 

How can I follow the 2024 Masters? 

Mail Sport will be running a live blog, covering all the action from each day at the 2024 Masters.

We will be providing you with the latest leader standings, best shots of the day plus much more.

All of this year's Masters action will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf, with live coverage also being shown on Sky Sports Main event as well. For Sky customers on the go, you can also live stream the tournament via the Sky Go app on a number of devices including your phones.

For non sky customers, the tournament will also be available to be streamed on NOW. NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, you can also access the NOW stream through TNT Sports.

Free-to-air coverage is also shown on the Masters official website, where viewers can watch all of the action just a short few minutes after it has happened.