The 89th Masters underway after lengthy rain delay

The 89th Masters is underway following a two-and-a-half weather delay at Augusta National.

Six-time champion Jack Nicklaus, with his wife Barbara on the bag, joined three-time winner Gary Player and dual champ Tom Watson as thousands of patrons surrounded the first tee to watch them hit the traditional opening shots on Thursday.

“It’s not so easy to put the ball on the tee now, is it?” Player asked the others, before striping one down the fairway.

“Watch out on the left and right,” Nicklaus joked before he, too, drove it right down the middle.

South African Erik van Rooyen and rising American Jake Knapp were the first competitors to tee off, while the heavy hitters from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were scattered in featured groups throughout the day.

Those with later tee times, including Tiger Woods playing with Australian former world No.1 Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, were unlikely to finish before dark.

That would mean they would need to return Friday to finish their first rounds.

Rookie amateur Jasper Stubbs was the first Australian slated to start, pushed back to 11.30am local time (1.30am Friday AEST).

Day, Cameron Smith, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott and Cam Davis all have afternoon tee slots.

It’s the sixth consecutive year that the weather has delayed at least some portion of the Masters.

There are 13 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf in the field this year, including defending Masters champion Jon Rahm, who left the PGA Tour on a half-billion-dollar deal late last year.

With Reuters