Weather concerns nix green jacket ceremony
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Citing weather concerns, Augusta National Golf Club has canceled the iconic green jacket ceremony — if the winner of the 83rd edition of the Masters is crowned on Sunday.
With a strong storm system moving across the state, Masters officials moved up the final round to Sunday morning. Players were going off in threesomes on split tees starting at 7:30 a.m. ET. The leaders — Italy’s Francesco Molinari, at 13-under, has a 2-shot lead over Tony Finau and Tiger Woods — were scheduled to tee off on No. 1 at 9:20 a.m. ET.
Tiger Woods is in contention to win the Masters for a fifth time after shooting a 5-under-par 67 in Saturday’s third round at Augusta National. He trails leader Francesco Molinari by 2 shots.
If players are able to finish their final rounds and a champion is determined Sunday, patrons won’t get to see the traditional green jacket ceremony, in which the previous year’s winner (in this case, Patrick Reed) slips a green jacket on the new champion.
Augusta officials announced Sunday morning that they’ve canceled the ceremony in order to get patrons and workers off the golf course before inclement weather arrives.
“There will not be a Green Jacket Ceremony on the terrace putting green this afternoon in order to expedite gate closures,” an Augusta National official wrote in an email. “Weather permitting, we will have photos with the champion on the putting green following the Butler Cabin Green Jacket presentation.”
The Masters hasn’t had a Monday finish since 1983, when Spain’s Seve Ballesteros won for the second time.