Bad weather could shorten Masters practice
Adam Scott's habitual radar-watching as an avid surfer has come in handy as wild weather in Augusta threatens to take a full day of practice away from Masters hopefuls.
A combination of rain, strong winds and thunderstorms forced tournament officials to suspend practice on Monday and send patrons from the hallowed turf of Augusta National Golf Club.
It is forecast to get worse with rain and thunderstorms, likely resulting in practice being completely cancelled for Tuesday.
But 2013 Masters winner Scott, who often surfs with 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, was watching the weather forecast from his Bahamas base last week.
It prompted the 38-year-old to play a full 18 holes with his pro golf father, Phil, on Sunday at Augusta – rather than the more common nine holes per day leading up to Thursday's first round.
Scott also made a reconnaissance mission to Augusta two weeks ago to play practice rounds and to bring caddie John Limanti up to speed on how he likes to tackle the famed Georgia golf course.
"This weather is good for me because I feel like I allowed for it," Scott said after a nine-hole session on Monday.
"I was looking forward into the weather forecast all last week.
"I played 18 yesterday and all the practice I did last week was designed to arrive at Augusta and not be searching for anything."
But Scott isn't the only one of the four Australians who feels prepared for the 83rd Masters.
Jason Day was the first Australian to arrive for Masters week, arriving on Friday, and has either played nine holes or practised his short game on the course on each of the four days.
Day's long-time coach Colin Swatton says the former world No.1's short game is back to its brilliant best and should be enough to get him in contention once again, despite Day's struggles this season.
Although he is still in the top five putters on the US PGA Tour, he has ranked a lowly 98th for strokes gained around the greens.
But Swatton has worked his magic on the 31-year-old Queenslander he has coached since his early teens, with an intense but measured build-up to the Augusta National major.
Swatton likes what he has seen from Day in the lead-up to the Masters.
"The preparation has been really good. With his short game and touch around the greens, we know he's going to be there come Sunday [the final round]," Swatton
Australia's most in-form player on the PGA Tour, Marc Leishman, arrived on Sunday and, with two nine-hole practice rounds already under his belt, welcomed the bad weather.
"No, losing a day of practice doesn't bother me at all," he said on Monday.
"I will happily sit at home and play with the kids. I have a late Wednesday tee time in the Masters Par 3 competition.
"I may not even come to the course tomorrow if it's putrid."
Cameron Smith, the top Australian at the Masters last year in a share of fifth place, arrived on Monday morning for a practice round alongside 2000 Masters winner Vijay Singh.
Smith practises regularly with Singh at TPC Sawgrass in Florida and admitted he picked the former world No.1's brain on playing Augusta.
AAP