The Masters will break tradition Sunday as the tournament announced it will cancel the Green Jacket Ceremony held on the terrace putting green due to weather concerns.
Officials are hopeful that canceling the ceremony will allow for the gates to close quicker after the tournament ends.
“There will not be a Green Jacket Ceremony on the terrace putting green this afternoon in order to expedite gate closures,” a representative for the club wrote in an email obtained by golf.com. “Weather permitting, we will have photos with the champion on the putting green following the Butler Cabin Green Jacket presentation.”
The latest weather forecast (as of Sunday morning) shows on-and-off rain throughout the morning with an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms beginning as early as 2 p.m. ET. The club already moved up the tournament's start time for Sunday's play to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET. The leaders started their rounds at 9:20 a.m. ET and the hope is a winner will be decided before the inclement weather affects Augusta National.
“There’s some weather coming in, and this is gonna be different,” Tiger Woods told CBS. “It’s gonna be a little different, going off two tees, threesomes. It doesn’t feel like Augusta National — but I remember when Jack finished up his last round here he finished up on nine, so I guess some precedent has already been set.”
Tournament officials are doing what they can to avoid a Monday finish, but they want to ensure everyone on the grounds will be safe. The last time the Masters ended on a Monday was in 1983, which was a result of heavy rain.
"The safety of everyone on our grounds is paramount. We also believe the earlier start will give us the best opportunity to complete the Masters on Sunday," Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters tournament, said. "This decision should benefit everyone — the players, our patrons and our fans watching around the world. Given the competitiveness and drama of this year’s tournament, we look forward to an exciting conclusion (Sunday)."