Masters 2023 Round 2 Suspended Due to Inclement Weather; 3 Trees Blown over by Wind

Weather was expected to play a role going into the 2023 Masters, and it didn't take long for that to become a reality.

The Masters released a statement that said Friday's second round was suspended due to inclement weather and will resume Saturday at 8 a.m. ET. While strong winds knocked over three trees near the 17th hole, there were no injuries.

"The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters Tournament will always be the top priority of the Club, which will continue to closely monitor the weather today and through the Tournament," the statement said.

Rain is again forecasted for Saturday in Augusta, Georgia, so this may become something of a theme as the field attempts to finish the year's first major at Augusta National Golf Club.

Perhaps nobody benefited from the weather more than Brooks Koepka.

The leader in the clubhouse hit the course early Friday and didn't have to contend with as adverse of conditions as some of the golfers who teed off later in the day. He took full advantage of the opportunity and shot a five-under 67 to seize the solo lead.

His bogey-free round included an eagle on the eighth hole and birdies on Nos. 2, 13 and 15. That meant he shot five under par on the four par-five holes and had nothing but pars on the other holes in a steady performance.

Koepka is 12 under on the tournament and three strokes ahead of Jon Rahm.

Yet Rahm will have an opportunity to catch him before the second round ends, as he completed just nine holes before the delay. That he notched birdies on his final two holes before play was stopped suggested that he was just starting to find his groove again after turning in a brilliant seven-under 65 in the first round.

Rahm started the tournament with a double bogey but has been dialed in ever since and seems to be Koepka's biggest challenger at this point.