Amen Corner, one of the most famous stretches of fairway in America, came into play early at this year’s Masters Tournament, which wrapped up April 9 at Augusta National Golf Club. But, according to Mother Nature Network, it has nothing to do with tee shots or putts on the famously named 11th, 12th and 13th holes.
Typically, the white, pink, dark pink, purple, fuchsia and red blooms of azaleas provide a picturesque background to Augusta National’s fairways. This year, however, the azaleas bloomed about a month early.
“It’s the weather,” John Ruter, the Armitage Endowed Professor of Horticulture and director of the UGA Trial Gardens, told mnn.com. “We’ve had a very mild winter with temperatures in the upper 70s for an extended period of time. Azaleas don’t have a large chilling requirement, so they are going to go ahead and bloom.”
This past winter was the fourth warmest winter in the area since 1875, the first year weather records were kept in the area.