Defending champ Tiger Woods an afterthought at Masters

Players applying late finishing touches to their Masters preparations were forced to cut things short when thunderstorms rolled in, setting the stage for a soggy start to a tournament 19 long months in the making.

Heavy rain is forecast to continue ahead of Friday's start.

Bryson DeChambeau is the warm favourite to add to his recent U.S. Open victory.

DeChambeau, who has spoken about perhaps using a 48-inch shaft driver, the maximum allowed, was spotted on the range earlier on Wednesday tinkering with a more standard 45-inch one.

Whether he puts the longer one into play this week might be of interest only to golf equipment junkies, but it has the potential to change the modern game.

The longer the club the faster it can be swung, and the further it can be hit, though the trade-off in loss of accuracy has to date discouraged anyone from wielding the 48-inch weapon competitively.

Whatever driver DeChambeau chooses, however, he will need a deft touch around and on the greens at a course where experience counts for much.

Others with legitimate hopes of slipping into a Green Jacket include fellow Americans Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, Spaniard Jon Rahm and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy.

Defending champion Tiger Woods, meanwhile, finds himself in the unaccustomed position of being almost an afterthought, a longshot based on his recent mediocre form.

Nineteen long months after ending a decade-long drought to claim a 15th major title, the 44-year-old Woods is at an age where great performances are still possible but consistent excellence harder to attain.

Usually held in early spring, it was the first major championship this year to be postponed as the coronavirus swept across the United States.

The PGA Championship was subsequently pushed back from May until August, the U.S. Open from June until September, and the British Open cancelled altogether.

The Masters, as with the majors preceding it, will be played without spectators, but a global television audience will lap it up, even if the pink azaleas and white dogwoods that usually provide a colourful backdrop are missing.

-Reuters