MASTERS NOTES: After a soggy start, weather looks good for most of the week

AUGUSTA — Weather is always an X-factor when it comes to golf, especially at major tournaments like the Masters.

Rain has affected some of the events early in the week of the 83rd edition of the tournament, which gets underway Thursday at Augusta National.

There were some brief delays during the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt championships last weekend, and course conditions were wet throughout Tuesday’s practice sessions.

However, the forecast for the upcoming week looks considerably better.

Still, while only minimal rain chances and temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s could help dry out the course quickly, a chance of thundershowers for Sunday’s final round could still play a factor on how some players attack Augusta National as the week goes on.

“I think there’s less strategy when it’s softer, but I don’t think that it changes,” 2015 champion Jordan Spieth said Tuesday. “And I’ve played it soft, and that was the year I won. It was pretty soft in, I want to say, 2016, it was pretty soft, as well. Then 2014, I remember being really firm, and then I think 2017 was on the firmer side, too.

“It requires I think a little bit more strategy when it’s firmer, but in those events, in the years that I mentioned — I mean, last year was a bit softer and if you look at the leaderboards, I don’t think it makes a difference on what you’re saying. I think either way, you just have to step up and play some really good golf.

Thursday, Friday groupings announced

As is the case every year, Tuesday’s announcement of the tee times for the first and second round made for some intriguing groupings.

One of the more star-studded groupings includes two members of the current top 10 in the World Golf Rankings — No. 3 Rory McIlroy and No. 9 Rickie Fowler — with Australian Cameron Smith, currently No. 28. That group will tee off Thursday at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday and will be the last group of the day on Friday with a 2 p.m. tee time.

Another intriguing group will be Thursday’s final threesome of Spieth, Brooks Koepka, who has won the last two U.S. Open and last year’s PGA Championship, and England’s Paul Casey, who has three top-10 Masters finishes in the last four years. That group has 2 p.m. tee time Thursday and 11:04 a.m. on Friday.

Three-time champion Phil Mickelson tees off with World No. 1 Justin Rose and World No. 5 Justin Thomas at 1:49 p.m. Thursday and 10:53 a.m. Friday.

Four-time champion Tiger Woods is grouped with World No. 8 Jon Rahm of Spain and Haotong Li of China at 11:04 a.m. Thursday and 1:49 p.m. Friday.

Of local interest, Duluth resident Stewart Cink, making his first Masters appearances since 2014, will tee off with 1987 champion and fellow Georgia Tech alum Larry Mize and Jimmy Walker at 11:48 a.m. Thursday and Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who have a combined nine green jackets to their credit, will once again tee off the tournament as the honorary starters at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, with the trio of Americans Andrew Landry and Adam long and Canadian Corey Conners following as the official first group of the team at 8:30.

Reed plans to chow down on the atmosphere at champions dinner

The annual Masters Club Dinner, which features past Masters champions as well as Augusta National club members, is always a noteworthy event, if for no other reason than to highlight the menu selected by the previous year’s champion.

But when it’s a first-time title winner, like defending champion Patrick Reed, the dinner is always special beyond being able to dine on his favorite foods.

“It’s going to be a very fun night,” Reed said. ‘Honestly, I just can’t wait to go out and spend time with the past champions and hear different stories and be able to talk to the guys about, you know, how their experience was winning their first, whether it was a couple years ago, last year, whether it was a long time ago. I mean, everyone has their different stories and I just can’t wait to kind of be in there and to listen to what they say.”

For the record, Reed’s menu choices include a choice of Caesar or wedge salad, prime bone-in cowboy ribeye steak for the entree, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, corn créme brûlée and steamed broccoli, plus three different types of desserts and a choice of select Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon wines.