AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Inclement weather suspended both the second round on Friday and third round on Saturday at the 2023 Masters, but the weather appears ready to let up so the year's first major can reach its conclusion Sunday evening. While Augusta National Golf Club continues to monitor the skies to expedite the playing of this 87th Masters, clear skies and cool temperatures are in the forecast Sunday.
This after play was suspended Saturday at 3:15 p.m. ET.
Sunday's forecast calls for clear skies with no chance of rain from 8 a.m., the presumed restart time, through the evening. Temperatures will hover from 45 degrees to 65 degrees, through there will be a steady wind of approximately 10 mph with gusts not expected to reach more than 29 mph over the course of the day.
All in all, conditions should be dry. That's a significant positive given the leaders entering Sunday will have 30 holes to play in approximately 12 hours. Brooks Koepka (-13) held a four-stroke lead on Jon Rahm (-9) before play resumed as each seeks to win his first green jacket and tick off another leg on the career grand slam. Follow Masters live leaderboard coverage throughout Sunday's action.
Inclement weather nothing new for players and patrons at Augusta National as now 48 of the 87 Masters have experienced some form of rain. This past Saturday, the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur was delayed more than three hours due to weather before Rose Zhang claimed the title.
In 2021, Hideki Matsuyama played video games during a 78-minute weather delay in the third round only to then play his final eight holes in 6 under. From two behind to four in front, this delay and subsequent play, when the winds were down and Augusta National Golf Club was susceptible to birdies, was a springboard for Matsuyama's triumph.
A similar story unfolded a year ago as cold temperatures wreaked havoc on players during Saturday's round. Tiger Woods was heavily affected by the chilly conditions and signed for a 6-over 78 to squander his major aspirations in his first competitive outing in over 500 days. Woods similarly sets 6 over through the first seven holes of his third round, which could lead to an all-time high score at Augusta National.
Watch the final day of the 2023 Masters on Sunday with Masters Live as we follow the best golfers in the world throughout Augusta National with Featured Groups, check in at the famed Amen Corner and see leaders round the turn on holes 15 & 16. Watch live on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports App and Paramount+.
The softer conditions on Friday and Saturday made the newly-lengthened par-5 13th, commonly known as "Azalea," play even longer than it did Thursday. Measuring 545 yards on the scorecard, the 13th hole is playing a pivotal role in this year's tournament as player grapple the decision to go for the green with their second shots or lay up short of Rae's Creek.
A double-edge sword presents itself if this scenario plays out. Hitting fairway woods and long irons into the green, most players have already claimed they will lay up all four days of competition. However, if those fairway woods and long irons now enter a more susceptible green complex and controlling the spin of a wedge shot becomes more difficult, this decision becomes muddied.
"I disagree that it's less exciting," said Spieth. "Like, I think you've heard mixed reviews. Some people say more, some people say less. I mean, I think if you are stuck in between you and get more mayhem because you're going to get more water balls than guys hitting 7-iron to the middle of the green, how is that not more exciting? It's not very exciting if someone hits 7-, 8-iron into the middle of the green and 2-putts. You want to see someone hit it from further away or a harder shot. I don't know if it's a better or worse hole; it's a different hole, and I think you have to be determined if it's more or less exciting. If it's warmer, it's more exciting; but when it's this cool, it may just be a lot of lay-ups. But we'll see."
