Masters 2019: Bad weather forces Augusta evacuation to drench course and favour Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson

With Augusta National soaked, the long hitters could benefit as the first major of the year begins on Thursday

Practice at The Masters was hit by inclement weather for the second straight day, leading to Augusta National being evacuated.

Play was suspended shortly after 3pm local time on Monday ahead of the 83rd version of the tournament.

And the course received 1.44 inches of rain that afternoon, with an additional 0.23 inches falling early on Tuesday morning.

The gates opened on schedule at 8am on Tuesday but with more storms approaching, tournament officials made the decision to close the course just two hours later.

While the rain will make the course softer and potentially play into the hands of longer hitters such as Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, Augusta National has a SubAir system that can help to remove water quickly.

While defending champion Patrick Reed has been recalling his last year travelling with the Green Jacket.

“It’s been amazing having the (green) jacket around, travelling with it, and allowing other people to see it was definitely a treat,” Reed told his pre-tournament press conference.

“Knowing I have to give the jacket back at the end of the week makes me more motivated to win another one.”

Reed hopes the addition of David Leadbetter as coach will see him find success having failed to produce a top 10 finish in 2019.

Augusta has been hit by inclement weather (EPA)

“I feel like the game now is where it needs to be,” Reed added. “We’ve put in a lot of work basically the entire year.

“When you come here you need to be mentally as well as physically ready to go and play. I’ve put myself in contention in a couple of tournaments, it’s just one round here and there that have hurt me and I need to put four rounds together.”

PA Sport also contributed to this report