
Augusta National is synonymous with azaleas. The flowers provide the perfect backdrop to the world famous course, which hosts the Masters every year, adding a dazzling brush of color to proceedings. But they could be absent when golf's first major begins on April 6.

Spring has arrived in Georgia and the unseasonably warm weather has prompted the azaleas to bloom early. With six weeks still to go until the Masters, there could be a splash less color when the world's best golfers tee it up.

Many of those memorable Masters moments have been framed by the dazzling display the azaleas provide. Rory McIlroy's capitulation in the 2011 tournament, when his four-shot lead on the final day evaporated in the space of three holes, led him deep into azalea territory.

Temperatures have been peaking into the mid-80s and the warm weather in Georgia is set to continue for another 10 days at least.

Even if the azaleas have gone beyond by the time the Masters starts, the course will still be in immaculate condition. English golfer Ian Poulter once said of Augusta: "It's like being in the most perfect picture that has ever been painted."