The Masters weather forecast: why was play suspended, when will it resume - could it finish on Monday?

The Masters was forced to suspend play once again due to adverse weather on Saturday.

Stormy conditions had resulted in the golf being stopped in the middle of the second round on Friday (7 April) with shocking footage capturing the moment a tree fell and narrowly missed spectators. Two other trees also fell due to the high winds on the course.

Tournament officials confirmed that no injuries had been reported following the terrifying incident near the 17th tee at Augusta National.

“The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters tournament will always be the top priority of the club,” a statement read. “We will continue to closely monitor weather today and through the tournament.”

A number of golfers had to return to the course on Saturday (8 April) morning to complete the second round before minds could turn to the third round. However unrelenting rain caused play to be stopped in the middle of Saturday afternoon.

But what can you expect from the weather on Saturday - and could The Masters be disrupted further?

What is the weather forecast for The Masters?

The weather is looking improved for Atlanta on Sunday (9 April) for the final day of the tournament. The Met Office is predicting cloudy conditions changing to sunny by lunchtime.

Temperatures will reach a high of 18C and lows of 3C. Gusts of up to 29mph could be seen at one point during the day, however.

Why was play suspended on Saturday?

The Masters has a policy in place for bad weather and according to Golf Monthly: “If the rain isn't unusually heavy, the tournament will continue as planned”. However in the case of heavy rain, lighting or high winds, a rain delay is possible.

The round will be completed once the inclement weather has subsided, which has often not been on the same day.

Play has been stopped on Saturday afternoon in the middle of the third round. Brooks Koepka strengthened his grip on the 87th Masters before play was suspended.

The final group had reached the seventh green by the time play was called off at 3.15pm local time, with Koepka on 13 under par and Rahm nine under.

When will play resume?

The golfers will finish the third round on Sunday (9 April). During the third round, tournament officials had announced a record prize fund of 18million US dollars (£14.49million), an increase of 20 per cent from last year, with the winner pocketing £2.6million.

The Masters has announced that play will resume at 8.30am local time. The final round is expected to begin at 12.30pm on Sunday.

Could The Masters finish on Monday?

The Masters is scheduled to finish on Sunday, 9 April. However if the heavy rain causes delays on Saturday and play is not possible, then the tournament could finish on Monday (10 April).

It has been 40 years since The Masters last finished on a Monday with weather disrupting the 1983 edition of the tournament, it is one of only five times that has happened. No official announcement on play for Saturday has been made yet.

We will update this article when more information is available.

Who is leading The Masters?

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka shrugged off the lingering debate over a controversial ruling to set the clubhouse target on an incident-packed second day of the 87th Masters. Koepka shared the overnight lead with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland after an opening 65 at Augusta National and admitted he was relishing an early start on Friday, with bad weather forecast later in the day.

The former world number one duly took full advantage of the conditions to post a flawless 67 for a halfway total of 12 under par, the joint-third lowest in tournament history alongside LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. Rahm had reached nine under par midway through his round when play was suspended for the second time as strong winds brought three trees crashing down across the 17th tee.