Sponsored by:
AUGUSTA, Ga., April 8, 2007 — The cold front that has whisked through Georgia caught many of Augusta's patrons completely unprepared. "I only brought one pair of long pants," said Houston native Lee Strain. "I haven't even put on my shorts yet. They stayed packed."
Strain and his buddy from balmy San Antonio, Charlie Wade, said they spent a combined $450 at the Masters gift shop just to stay warm. "Yesterday, in particular, was brutal," said Wade. "The wind as much as anything just cut through you. Today's a walk in the park compared to yesterday."
In the grandstands yesterday on the par-3 4th, a husband and wife were making their way through the fans. She was bundled up in a Masters throw blanket. "Best $30 I ever spent," he said.
Fans weren't the only ones spending their money on warm-weather Augusta National gear. Stuart Appleby played yesterday's round in a black sweater with the ANGC logo, a sweater he had to pay for, just like anybody else, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
"That was $155 out of my pocket," he said, according to the paper. "Full sticker price. Didn't get a discount."
But so far today, it's much milder. At noon yesterday, the wind chill was 36 degrees, and by 3 pm winds were gusting up to 23 mph. Today the wind is calmer, coming from the West/Northwest at about 10 mph, and the forecast calls for temperatures near 60 this afternoon.
