Masters 2012 Leaderboard: Threats to Catch Lee Westwood at the Front

Lee Westwood steadily surged up the leaderboard late in the first round of the Masters on Thursday, proving that the world No. 3 is truly capable of competing with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, despite what the oddsmakers may say.

Westwood's first-round, five-under 67 put him in first place, leaping over Louis Oosthuizen, whose four-under 68 had him ahead of the pack for most of the late afternoon. Though Westwood's run to the top was impressive, there are a few Americans who are hot on his heels.

Bubba Watson started to climb the leaderboard at the end of the first round. After birdying three holes for a 33 on the front nine, he had a rocky start to the back, birdying 10 and 13. He salvaged the back nine with a couple of birdies—one on the 17th hole—for a 69.

Watson has never finished better than a tie for 20th in the Masters, but the way he's playing leading up to the event—seven cuts made in seven events and a runner-up finish at Doral—has some believing this could be his year at Augusta.

Ben Crane shot a three-under 69 in the first round, starting off the day with two pars before birdying the third hole. A bogey on the fourth and five straight pars landed him with an even par 36 on the front nine.

On the back, Crane had three birdies—on the 11th, 13th and 17th holes—for a 33, putting him just two strokes off Westwood's lead.

Crane had to wait until the very end of the Arnold Palmer Invitational—which Tiger won—to get into the Masters. In the final week for players to gain admittance by being ranked in the top 50 in the world, he slipped to 49 and just barely made it in. He is making his fifth appearance at Augusta.

Jason Dufner also shot a 69, capitalizing on a hot start in which he birdied the first two holes. After a 33 on the front nine, he bogeyed the 11th and the 14th but followed it up with two birdies for a 36 on the back nine.

Dufner, who is making his second appearance at the Masters, would certainly give fans the underdog-type story it loves. He didn't start playing golf until he was 14 and walked on to his college team at Auburn, and it was all uphill from there.

After turning pro in 2000, Dufner played in 123 events and won twice on the Nationwide Tour before establishing himself as a regular presence on the PGA Tour in 2007.

Last season, Dufner finished second in the PGA Championship and registered six more top-10 finishes.

Missing from the top of the leaderboard, of course, are McIlroy and Woods, both of whom monopolized nearly all of the media attention heading into this year's tournament.

Thursday proved to be a showcase for Westwood and the others who were passed over in the pre-Masters hubbub, but that's exactly what is making the beginning of this year's tournament a can't-miss affair.