Henrik Stenson blasts from a bunker on the second hole, wearing a stocking cap and long sleeves. A noon temperature of 43 degrees and wind gusting to 23 mph had players scrambling for warm clothing Saturday in Augusta, Ga.

Augusta, Ga. ? Break out the Day-Glo golf balls, hand-warmers and the winter rules.

Chilly temperatures and a brisk north wind made the Masters feel more like it was transplanted to Augusta, Maine. Spectators bundled up in their winter finest Saturday, and players dug out every last bit of clothing they had stashed in their golf bags. Henrik Stenson even teed off in a stocking cap – at 1 p.m., no less.

And he’s Swedish.

“The only other time I remember the weather like this is when I’m here playing for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Charles Howell III, an Augusta native.

The temperature at the Masters was only 43 at noon, and it hovered around 50 degrees the rest of the afternoon. Overnight lows are expected to drop below 30. Add wind gusting to 23 mph and it felt like the upper-30s to low- to mid-40s at Augusta National.

That’s a good 30 degrees lower than normal. It’s not expected to be much better today, either, with a high near 57 and more wind.

So much for warm Southern hospitality.

“We looked out this morning and thought it was going to be beautiful,” said Simon Burgess, an Englishman by way of Portugal who was shivering in shorts and a light sweater. “It’s bloody freezing.”

The Masters is normally spring break for the golfing set – sun-splashed days that are warm, if not hot; a pleasant breeze that’s the perfect complement to a pimento cheese sandwich.

Shirt-sleeves are the uniform for players, with maybe a light sweater vest for those trying to show a bit of style. Spectators wear shorts. The women come in skirts or show off their little sundresses. While the golf is the main attraction, getting an early start on the year’s tan doesn’t hurt.

Rain can put a damper on things – the third round didn’t finish until Sunday morning last year because of thunderstorms – but it’s one thing to have muddy shoes, another to not be able to feel your feet.

“This seems like another tournament altogether,” said Rich Cheney of Rocky Mount, N.C., who was at his fourth Masters. “Kind of British Open conditions.”

Players were layered in sweaters, wind shirts and jackets. There was even a mock turtleneck or two. The wind played havoc with almost every shot and made Augusta’s already quick greens even slicker.

“Do I look like I’m out in my shorts and T-shirt?” Englishman Lee Westwood asked. “When I got out of the house this morning, I said to (his agent), ‘It’s like walking out of the Old Course Hotel at the Dunhill Links.’ It was that cold.”

At least the players got to move around and keep the blood flowing. For the spectators, the chilly conditions called for more drastic measures.

Mike Misiak had on a T-shirt, turtleneck, sweater and a jacket. He wore black pants – “to soak in the sun” – and tundra-worthy black gloves.

“This, I think, is a beautiful day,” Misiak said. “My golfing weather is 40 degrees. I’ve golfed in snow six inches deep. I don’t know what the temperature was, but probably below freezing.”

OK, but Misiak is from Tecumseh, Mich. He’s a pro at this. Ditto for David Lewis, a high school golf teacher from Buffalo, N.Y., who was at his first Masters.

Lewis had shed his coat by midafternoon, though he did have on a sweater and turtleneck.

“I hang out at football games. I’ve been watching the Buffalo Bills for years,” Lewis said. “I know better than to be cold. I can take stuff off. But if you don’t have it, you don’t have it.”

Which is why so many spectators looked as if they were wearing half the clothes in their closets.