Wednesday 5 April 2017 17:41, UK
Andrew Coltart discusses how players' preparations have been affected by bad weather at Augusta and looks at how conditions in the early part of the tournament could suit the world's top two.
It's not the weather you would expect at Augusta, where you normally pitch up in glorious weather to play with the warm sun on your back and everything looking pristine.
The bad weather we've seen so far will massively affect the preparation of the rookies and younger guys, who haven't had as much time to play the course and get used to all of its intricate nuances.
The more experienced guys will have already done plenty of Masters preparation so it's only slightly unsettling for them, just because they won't be able to go through their usual routine.
The winds for the first couple of rounds are set to make conditions really difficult. The only slight positive is that the course may be a little more forgiving, given how soft the course will be after all of that rain.
Getting the club selection will be a real challenge for the players in those conditions, as the breeze is so fickle in that place. Playing later in the day would help as it will have dried out a little bit and the winds aren't meant to be as strong.
If the weather stays as forecast and the winds drop a little bit on Thursday afternoon, then that may be to the likes of Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson's advantage as the late starters.
McIlroy's capable of winning at Augusta, irrespective of his form and preparation coming in to the tournament. I think this start to the year could suit Rory, as his expectation may be less than if everything was building up nicely to this.
He is slightly undercooked but we're talking about one of the greatest players to have ever lived, so I don't think that's really going to make that much difference.
He had plenty of time off before he pitched up in South Africa and nearly won there, albeit in not as strong of a field. He has put some strong performances already this season.
When you look at Rory's Augusta record, it's good but should be a lot better. He has shot himself in the foot a few times with one bad round. He shot a 77 last year and has gone higher in the past, so has proven he is capable of contending without even having his A game.
Having said that, Johnson is incredibly confident right now and has had a good couple of performances in recent years at Augusta so has to be the man to beat this week.
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