It can be one of the most frustrating parts of trying to bet on the Masters.
You’ve done all your research and have locked in your pick, but they’re scheduled to tee off in the middle of inclement weather. Or you’ve got a golfer in the lead when it starts pouring and you’re not sure if you should cash out.
Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times
There isn’t much of a playbook here, but there is plenty of information we can already use to our advantage. Some golfers who don’t mind dealing with wet courses. In fact, while soggy fairways can hamper distance, a steady dose of rain can help players better place shots around the green.
These are the guys who do it best.
Phil Mickelson
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Mickelson finished T2 in 2023 despite rain disrupting Saturday and Sunday at Augusta. Even before the week began, Phil seemed to welcome the storms.
“I actually think with a little bit of weather, a little bit of moisture, it’s going to play long and difficult,” Mickelson said in 2023. “Probably easier than if it were dry and fast, I would think.”
Matt Fitzpatrick
(Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
We already know that Fitzpatrick has a never-ending stream of personal data on the course thanks to the fact he’s tracked every single golf shot he’s taken since turning 15. But the Englishman also has plenty of experience in the rain, too — and a little moisture at Augusta was certainly a welcomed development for him in 2023.
“I look at previous performances here when it’s been really, really windy, really sort of cold, or where you’ve kind of got to be gritty,” Fitzpatrick said. “Yeah, I would say that definitely suits me.”
Rory McIlroy
(Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
When Rory won the 2011 U.S. Open, he started his Thursday with a soaked Congressional Country Club in Washington D.C. The courses at the 2012 PGA Championship and 2014 Open Championship were similarly soggy. The Northern Ireland native knows his way around the raindrops.
Shane Lowry
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Another Irishman used to playing in rain, Lowry has three rules to survive damp conditions on the course, per Golf.com:
- Don’t pretend to enjoy it
- Hit your shots quickly
- Play extra safe
“You need to not make really silly mistakes,” Lowry said. “You’re managing your way around the course when the weather gets bad, as opposed to trying to do anything drastic.”
Brooks Koepka
Brooks Koepka looks over his putt on the 9th green as the rains come down during the second round at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club Friday, May 19, 2023.
He won the 2023 PGA Championship in the rain, but more importantly surged into the lead on Saturday in Augusta a few months earlier before the rain delay ended things for the day. The caveat here is that Koepka is less of a star in the rain than he is a star in big tournaments — and nothing tends to slow him down.
“Yeah, it’s obviously super difficult,” Koepka said after a 2023 Saturday downpour at Augusta. “Ball’s not going anywhere. You’ve got rain to deal with, and it’s freezing cold. It doesn’t make it easy. You’ve got to make some pressure putts. You know it was going to be a difficult day. You’ve just got to grind through it and try to salvage something.”
