Masters 2012 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Friday

Both golf pundits and golf fans dreamed up a lot of different storylines for the 2012 Masters, and nearly all of them were made obsolete in the first round on Thursday.

Bound to happen. Golf is by far the hardest sport to predict, as you just never know who's going to rise and who's going to fall. For example, I don't think anybody expected Paul Lawrie to finish among the leaders in the first round, nor do I think anybody expected world No. 1 Luke Donald to completely fall flat.

As soon as the second round rolls around on Friday, it will all be water under the bridge. Tournaments are not lost on the first day, and they are not won on the first day. A lot can happen in the final three days, and a lot will happen in the final three days.

Such as they are, here are some predictions for Day 2. You can scroll down to the bottom to find a list of notable pairings and tee times.

Henrik Stenson Will Miss the Cut

Henrik Stenson was a big story early in the first round, as he notched two early eagles and finished out the front nine at five-under. At one point, he got as low as six-under.

Then pressure got to Stenson. He was wildly inconsistent on the back nine, and he finished his day with a snowman on 18. He's going to need a big bounce-back in Round 2 to stay in contention.

I foresee him going to opposite direction. Stenson was great early on, but his second round is more indicative of what we can expect to see from him going forward. He's going to slide further and further down the leaderboard, and I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that he's going to miss the cut.

Tiger Woods Will Rebound and Finish Near the Top of the Leaderboard

It's easy to look at Tiger Woods' opening score of 72 as a disappointment. Considering all the buzz surrounding him heading into the tournament, I think we all expected him to race to the top of the leaderboard and stay there.

However, it could have been worse. Tiger did not play his best golf on Thursday, so I see his 72 as a good thing. Given the way he was playing, he could have easily finished the day over par. Instead, it took two late bogeys for him to finish even.

Expect Tiger to play much better on Friday. He'll finish under par for the day, and that will place him among the leaders. 

Rory McIlroy Will Also Finish Among the Leaders

Rory McIlroy got off to a very rough start at the Masters, notching a double-bogey on the par-four first. At that point, the vibes weren't good.

McIlroy righted the ship after that, and he finished strong with two straight birdies to finish at one-under. He didn't play his best golf on Thursday, so the fact that he managed to finish under par is pretty impressive.

We know from what McIlroy did last year that he can handle Augusta. We also know he's immensely talented. By the end of the day on Friday, his slow start will be a distant memory.

Patrick Cantlay Will Keep Up the Good Work

If you don't know who Patrick Cantlay is yet, you will soon. He's one of the top amateur golfers in the world, and he's looking pretty good so far in his Masters debut.

Cantlay has accomplished a lot on the amateur circuit, and he showed at the U.S. Open last year that he can handle tough competition. Nobody noticed because of the way McIlroy ran away with the tournament, but Cantlay finished tied for 21st.

Cantlay is in sight of the leaders so far at Augusta. He will stay in sight of the leaders on Friday.

Lee Westwood Will Be the Leader Heading into the Weekend

Lee Westwood has a tendency to come up just short at majors, but he looks like a man on a mission so far at Augusta. He ended his day at the top of the leaderboard at five-under.

When it comes to Westwood, it's not a question of how talented he is. He's one of the best players in the world, and he routinely finishes in the top 10 at majors. He just doesn't win them, for a variety of different reasons.

But I have to say, I like what I'm seeing from Westwood. Look for him to be atop the leaderboard again when Round 2 comes to a close.

Notable Tee Times

Golfers	Tee Times
Louis Oosthuizen, Mark Wilson, Graeme McDowell	8:34 a.m.
Vijay Singh, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk	9:40 a.m.
Angel Cabrera, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson	10:35 a.m.
Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Peter Hanson	10:46 a.m.
Adam Scott, Bo Van Pelt, Martin Kaymer	11:52 a.m.
Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington, Stewart Cink	12:14 p.m.
Tom Watson, Johnson Wagner, Hideki Matsuyama	12:58 p.m.
Charl Schwartzel, Keegan Bradley, Kelly Kraft	1:31 p.m.
Tiger Woods, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Sang Moon Bae	1:42 p.m.
Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari, Nick Watney	1:53 p.m.

Complete list of tee times available on Masters.com.