Masters 2025: Monday’s rain hopefully paves way for special week

AUGUSTA, Ga. — There is an old adage about wedding days that I love — when a couple exchanges their vows amid a downpour, it is believed that a long and healthy marriage will follow. That applies to my own parents, who have been happily married for almost three decades now. Their wedding day featured nothing but rain, but the precipitation on that final Saturday in May helped nurture the seeds of a beautiful, loving family — one that I am incredibly lucky to be a part of.

Indeed, a rainy wedding day is a sign of good luck for newlyweds.

Let’s hope the same mantra applies to this week’s Masters Tournament.

It goes without saying that one’s wedding day takes place at the beginning of a marriage, just as Monday’s practice round at Augusta National signals the arrival of a new Masters.

It’s a day for players to grow acclimated to the property, practice, and answer questions from the media. It’s also somewhat of a relaxed setting, with excited patrons traversing the course, all while soaking in the landmarks that make this place so special. Nothing compares to taking in the scenes around Amen Corner, or sitting in the spot where Tiger Woods famously holed out from on the 16th hole 20 years ago this week.

Indulging in Pimento Cheese sandwiches and enjoying a Crow’s Nest lager does not disappoint either.

Augusta National Golf Club/Getty Images

And yet, Augusta National Golf Club had no choice but to suspend play due to Monday’s inclement weather. It downpoured across Eastern Georgia on Monday, making it hard to see 50 feet before you. Puddles developed across the course, forcing the club to close the property for the remainder of the afternoon and disappointing many patrons who made the pilgrimage for Monday’s practice round. But the club will honor Monday’s tickets for those unlucky attendees in the future.

“We are disappointed our patrons could not fully enjoy today’s practice round, but the safety of everyone at Augusta National is our highest priority and was the determining factor in the decision to cancel,” said Fred Ridley, the Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, in a statement on Monday.

“We look forward to welcoming back our Monday patrons next year, as well as celebrating a wonderful 89th Masters Tournament ahead of us this week.”

The club will offer refunds in May, allowing those with Monday practice round badges to purchase Monday tickets for the 2026 edition.

Not all hope is lost despite the wet day.

And we can only hope that Monday’s wet weather blossoms into something beautiful.

After all, there is something special about every Masters Tournament that has taken place in the years ending in ‘5.’

This has been the case from the very beginning too.

The 1935 Masters, the tournament’s second edition, featured the ‘shot heard round the world.’ Gene Sarazen, who became one of five players to win the career Grand Slam, holed out from 235 yards with a 4-wood on the par-5 15th hole to match Craig Wood at 6-under par. The two players then finished their final rounds knotted at 6-under, and Sarazen defeated Wood in a 36-hole playoff the following day by five strokes.

Twenty years later, in 1955, Cary Middlecoff, one of the greatest players the PGA Tour has ever seen, won his lone Masters title. Middlecoff shot a 7-under 65 during the second round, which included a then-record 31 on the opening nine. He ultimately coasted to a seven-shot victory over Ben Hogan, who had won a pair of Green Jackets in 1951 and 1953.

Then, in 1965, Jack Nicklaus won his second Green Jacket by a whopping nine shots, with Gary Player and Arnold Palmer sharing second place honors. Nicklaus also set the tournament scoring record at 17-under par, leaving the great Bobby Jones in disbelief. After Nicklaus won, Jones famously said, “He plays a game with which I am not familiar.” Nicklaus relied on his exquisite power and deft touch around the greens to dominate Augusta National.

Ten years later, in 1975, Nicklaus won again in what many call the greatest Masters of all-time. The Golden Bear fought off Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf as he holed a 40-footer for birdie on the 16th green to ultimately win by one. Watching these three players — the best in the world at the time — battle each other down the stretch is still talked about to this day.

1985 saw Bernhard Langer win his first Green Jacket. Langer, who will say goodbye to playing in The Masters competitively this week, became only the second European to conquer Augusta Natlongtimes long-time friend and Ryder Cup confidant, Seve Ballesteros, became the first European player to win The Masters in 1980.

In 1995, Ben Crenshaw overcame the longest of odds to win his second Green Jacket. The day before he arrived at Augusta, Crenshaw served as a pall-bearer at Harvey Penick’s funeral.

Penick, Crenshaw’s longtime mentor and coach, posthumously guided him to a one-shot victory over Davis Love III. He birdied the 16th and 17th holes to become the 13th player to win multiple Masters titles. Understandably, Crenshaw let the tears flow on the 18th green, leaving an indelible image that will live on forever.

Of course, the 2005 Masters Tournament produced one of the most famous shots in tournament history. Facing a delicate chip-shot from over the 16th green, Tiger Woods held a one-shot lead but looked destined to give a shot back to the field and drop into a tie with Chris DiMarco. And then, somehow, someway, Woods holed the chip, as his Nike golf ball just fell into the bottom of the cup, eliciting the great Verne Lundquist to say, “In your life! Have you ever seen anything like that!?”

We did not see anything like it before, nor have we seen anything like it since. Somehow, that shot will celebrate its 20th anniversary at this year’s Masters Tournament, which, quite frankly, is the first memory I have of watching The Masters with my dad.

This shot is also why the 16th hole will forever be my favorite, not only because of Woods but also because of Lundquist, one of my favorite broadcasters. Lundquist will be missed this year.

And then, in 2015, Jordan Spieth won The Masters in dominating fashion, opening with an 8-under 64. He never looked back. Spieth ultimately finished at 18-under par, which tied the 72-hole scoring record at the time, as Spieth won his first of two major championships that year at Augusta. He then went on to win the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay that June, narrowly missed a playoff at St. Andrews at The Open in July, and then finished runner-up to Jason Day at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in August. Spieth had an unbelievable season, coming close to winning the Career Grand Slam, and it all started at Augusta.

Fast forward to the present, and the 2025 Masters Tournament has arrived with many intriguing storylines. Can Scottie Scheffler win for the third time in four years? Will Rory McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam? What about Xander Schauffele, who has won two of the last three major championships? Will a LIV Golf star win another major? Can Phil Mickelson turn back the clock and run up the leaderboard, like he did in 2023? How about a young star like Ludvig Åberg? The possibilities are infinite.

But we can only hope that Monday’s rain blossoms into a tremendous tournament, just like the showers that often lead to a happy marriage.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.