Different Strokes: Storms forecast for Masters while Greg Norman eyes in-your-face celebrations

Greg Norman was so often the fall guy in suffering heartbreak time after time in his quest to claim a green jacket for his wardrobe during a playing career that ultimately finished without any Masters attire.

But the Australian – reinvented as the chief tormentor to the PGA Tour in his role as chief executive of LIV Golf – is eyeing up the possibility of seeing an in-your-face celebration behind the 18th green should one of the 18 players from his start-up circuit manage to win at Augusta National on Sunday.

“If one of the guys, no matter who it is [wins], they are all going to be there on the 18th green, and that [prospect] just gives me goosebumps to think about,” said the Great White Shark.

Among the LIV playing in action will be recent Masters winners Dustin Johnson (2020), Patrick Reed (2018), Sergio Garcia (2017) and Bubba Watson (2014) along with other recent Major winners Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau.

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“I compliment the Masters on letting the players play because now they have got the best field and they are actually the true Super Bowl [of golf]. It’s what the people want. It’s what TV wants. The ratings will be far higher than any other ratings if you’ve got Rory [McIlroy] playing any one of our top guys.”

Days of thunder

Whisper it, but the weather forecast – with up to an 86 per cent chance of rain or thunderstorms on each of the tournament days from Thursday to Sunday – is raising the unpleasant prospect of the tournament extending into a Monday finish.

The last time the Masters was forced to go an extra day into a Monday finish was in 1983, when Friday’s second round was postponed to the Saturday with a knock-on effectd resulting in play finally finishing on the fifth day. Seve Ballesteros won his second green jacket in four years, starting his final round birdie-eagle-par-birdie to ultimately cruise to a four-shot winning margin over Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite.

In the tournament’s history, the need to extend to a Monday finish has only happened on five previous occasions.

Afternoon thunderstorms are forecast for Thursday’s first round, and the highest probability for rain is on Saturday.

By the Numbers: 2,700

That’s the closest in feet that ticket touts will be able to get to the course to ply their “trade” for the Masters tournament. Ticket scalping is a no-no. Anyone caught buying or selling or handling tickets within 2,700 feet of Augusta National will face a misdemeanour charge. The local Augusta police force is augmented for the week by law enforcement officers from adjoining districts.

Word of Mouth

“There’s still a lot of hurdles for him to be able to win the Masters. The first one I think is just mental. Going up against the best players in the world is one thing, but going up against the history books is another ... he’s got to get over that mental hurdle in round number one. It could be as simple as the first round is more important than the final round, the first round is the most important day of the week for Rory” – former tour player and Golf Channel broadcaster Brandel Chamblee on his view of the main challenge facing Rory McIlroy, who is seeking to complete the career Grand Slam.

On this day: April 4th, 1937

Nelson’s Bridge, which is located over Rae’s Creek as players depart the 13th tee, was named after Byron Nelson to honour his feat of birdieing the 12th and eagling the 13th in the final round of the Masters in 1937.

In what was the fourth edition of the Masters, Nelson opened with rounds of 66 and 72 to hold a three-stroke lead through 36-holes but faltered to a third-round 75 that had him four shots behind Ralph Guldahl going into Sunday’s finale.

The defining moments of that final round were played out at Amen Corner, where Guldahl went double bogey-bogey to Nelson’s birdie-eagle. For Nelson, at 25 years of age, firing a closing 70 for a total of five-under-par 283 earned a two-stroke winning margin. It was Nelson’s first of five career Major wins.

In the Bag

Corey Conners – Valero Texas Open

Driver – Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)

3-wood – Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

Hybrid – ping G425 (19 degrees)

Irons – Ping iBlade (4-PW)

Wedges – Ping Glide 4.0 (50 and 56 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (60 degrees)

Putter – PLD Prime Tyne H

Ball – Titleist ProV1

Know the Rules

It’s not just players who have to follow rules during the Masters. Spectators attending the tournament also must abide by strictly enforced rules:

Cameras are strictly prohibited on tournament days but allowed on practice days. Devices such as fitness tracking bands and electronic watches are allowed, however the use of such devices for phone calls, emails, text messaging and other photo, video or data recording and/or transmission is prohibited. Anyone violating this policy is subjected to removal from the grounds and the permanent loss of ticket credentials.

Banned items include flags, banners and signs, golf shoes with metal spikes (apart from players), ladders, periscopes and selfie sticks ... oh, and knives and weapons of any kind.