Wind is wreaking havoc at the Masters

If you took a look at the Masters scoreboard the last two days, you might think rounds in the 60s were banned. A player hasn’t carded a round better than 70 since the opening day on Thursday. While the winning Masters scores have dipped into the double-digit red numbers in recent years, including a record-matching 18-under last year, the current scoring looks more like a U.S. Open. The difference is simple; the wind.

A lot of wind.

It’s been gusty all week at Augusta National and the wind is causing major problems for the field. Trying to judge distance has been especially challenging, but it doesn’t stop there. The wind is even causing issues on the greens both with players struggling to stay still in the breeze and the impact on the putting surface. Augusta’s greens are already challenging enough but now they’re getting “crusty,” as Jordan Spieth called them making it exceedingly difficult to putt in the gusts. Bubba Watson couldn’t believe the impact the wind had on one of his Thursday putts.

The wind has only become a bigger factor since that opening round. It’s blowing hard on Saturday and creating chaos. If you thought Watson’s putt was bad, it was mild compared to what happened to Billy Horschel on Saturday. Horschel was set up for an eagle putt, then the wind picked up and took his ball right from the green and into the water hazard. He ended up making a six.

Making it even more of a challenge is the fact the wind is gusting and not steady. They can play in the wind of a British Open because they know what direction it’s going and at what strength -- it becomes predictable. But these gusts are from all different directions depending on where you’re at on the course, and they come up at any time. Just as players are settling in to hit a shot, the conditions change.

Even chipping is more difficult with the wind.

It’s not very often you see sand flying out of the bunkers at Augusta National.

Safe to say, the players during the morning wave on Saturday did not enjoy it.