Masters 2012 Leaderboard: Westwood Rides Underdog Status to First-Round Lead

The person who seemed to be the most peeved by this week's pre-Masters circus surrounding Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, was Lee Westwood.

During Thursday's first round at Augusta, Westwood used that media circus—and the lack of attention directed toward him—to fuel him to a share of the lead.

Westwood was three-under par through 11 holes on Thursday afternoon, putting him on pace to tie Paul Lawrie, Miguel A. Jimenez and Francisco Molinari, all of whom shot a 69.

Though he entered the Masters ranked third in the world, Westwood's odds to win were well below those of Woods and McIlroy, which seemed to hit a sore spot as he made the media rounds prior to the tournament. He has yet to win a major, but it's not like he's never been close, as Westwood finished second to Phil Mickelson at Augusta in 2010.

When faced with the hubbub surrounding Woods and McIlroy, he seemed defensive, telling the Telegraph's Oliver Brown:

"

Rory has never won here, and Woods has not won here since 2005. So it’s naive to think that it’s a two-horse race. I think Phil Mickelson might have something to say about that. Luke [Donald] might, too. I might.

"

Considered by many to be the best player who's never won a major, Westwood birdied the par-five second hole at Augusta, but bogeyed the par-three fourth. He then birdied the next four holes in a row and just missed a birdie on the ninth.

On Thursday, Westwood proved exactly why it was an advantage to be able to avoid the overwhelming attention that some of his fellow golfers couldn't, heading into the Masters. Tiger and McIlroy are tasked with overcoming abundant pressure and, perhaps, too many great expectations.

Westwood, on the other hand, has the luxury of feeling slighted. For many athletes, there's nothing that gets the competitive juices flowing faster than disrespect.

If he keeps playing like this, though, he won't be able to fly under the radar much longer.