Masters 2012: Top 25 Competitors Still in the Hunt

We are officially halfway through the 2012 Masters.

The top of the leaderboard contains a lot of recognizable names and relatively few surprises. Nobody should be surprised to see Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood near the top, and co-leaders Jason Dufner and Fred Couples have both been around for quite a while.

With two rounds still to play, the truth is that this is anybody's tournament. The leaderboard is going to undergo a lot of changes before things come to a close on Sunday.

As things stand right now, the leaderboard doesn't quite tell the whole story.

Here's a rundown of who the top 25 contenders at Augusta National are and where they really stand.

25. Tiger Woods

Round 1: E

Round 2: +3

Total: +3

Place: T40

It was clear from the start on Thursday that Tiger Woods just wasn't quite right. Despite that, it took two late bogeys to keep him from finishing under par. 

Tiger wasn't so lucky on Friday. His swing was still a mess, and he had a lot more trouble saving par. Two early birdies were quickly erased by bogey, after bogey, after bogey.

Maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. It was an ugly day for Tiger.

But, Tiger can't be counted out quite yet. All it will take is one hot round, and Tiger has two more chances to produce one.

24. Charles Howell III

Round 1: E

Round 2: -2

Total: -2

Place: T11

Why are we talking about Charles Howell III right now?

He got an eagle on the par-five 15th on Friday, thanks to a great tee shot, an even better approach shot and then a short putt.

Other than that, Howell has been pretty ordinary at the Masters. He's not in it to win this thing.

23. Vijay Singh

Round 1: -2

Round 2: E

Total: -2

Place: T11

It's always good to say Vijay Singh's in the hunt, but I wouldn't bank on him winning his first green jacket since 2000.

Singh had a solid day on Thursday, but the only reason he's still at two-under for the tournament is because of the eagle he scored on the 15th. He's in the same category as Howell.

Still, you have to feel good for Singh for avoiding the cut for the first time since 2009.

22. Sean O'Hair

Round 1: +1

Round 2: -2

Total: -1

Place: T19

Sean O'Hair made some noise earlier this season when he opened with impressive showings at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open in Hawaii. But so far at the Masters, he's been so-so.

O'Hair hasn't played poorly by any stretch of the imagination, but he just hasn't been able to string any birdies together. Case in point, he immediately followed a birdie on 10 with a bogey on 11 today, and he wrapped up his round with a bogey on 18.

If O'Hair repeats the round he had on Friday on Saturday and Sunday, he'll finish high. To win, he's going to need to pull something special out of his back pocket.

21. Gary Woodland

Round 1: +1

Round 2: -2

Total: -1

Place: T19

Gary Woodland had a chance to finish the first round under par, but bogeys on 16 and 18 ruined that plan.

Woodland enjoyed slightly better fortune on Friday, though 18 bit him again. He had to settle for a two-under round.

Woodland doesn't have a tendency to post really low scores. He's going to hover right around par, so he's basically going to need a miracle or two to make a run at the lead.

20. Jonathan Byrd

Round 1: E

Round 2: -1

Total: -1

Place: T19

Jonathan Byrd got off to a rough start on Thursday, bogeying two of his first four holes. He settled down after that and ended up breaking even—not a bad day.

Friday was pretty much the exact opposite. Byrd started hot with successive birdies on holes two, three and four, but a pair of bogeys soon followed, and Byrd was forced to tread water the rest of the way. 

Byrd will take the one-under, but he missed his chance at making noise when the wheels fell off his hot start.

19. Paul Lawrie

Round 1: -3

Round 2: E

Total: -3

Place: T8

I wouldn't expect Paul Lawrie to make a run at the green jacket over the next two days. The only reason he's in the hunt is because of a pair of eagles on Thursday. Other than that and a hot streak to close out Round 2, he's been nothing special.

Besides, Lawrie hasn't experienced a weekend at the Masters since 2004. He's a veteran, but asking him to handle the pressure is asking a lot.

18. Fredrik Jacobson

Round 1: +4

Round 2: -4

Total: E

Place: T24

It's been feast or famine for Fredrik Jacobson in his first Masters start since 2005.

On Thursday, it was famine, as seven bogeys easily overshadowed a trio of birdies. On Friday, it was feast, as Jacobson had seven birdies and three bogeys.

Jacobson's performance has been more than a little Phil Mickelson-like so far. I should like his chances, but I only like it when Phil Mickelson has Phil Mickelson-like performances.

17. Y.E. Yang

Round 1: +1

Round 2: -2

Total: -1

Place: T19

If Y.E. Yang is going to make a run at this thing, he's going to have to get off to a better start on Saturday and Sunday.

On Thursday, Yang finished a stroke over par on the front nine. On Friday, he finished even, balancing a trio of birdies against a trio of bogeys.

Yang can't be counted out because of what he did at the Masters in 2010, when he finished tied for eighth. But, if he gets off to another slow start on Saturday, the rest of the field won't have any trouble passing him by.

16. Henrik Stenson

Round 1: -1

Round 2: -1

Total: -2

Place: T11

Well, so much for my prediction that Henrik Stenson would miss the cut. I figured that snowman he carded on 18 on Thursday was going to be the beginning of the end—not so much.

Stenson bounced back nicely on Friday, though he could have done without the double-bogey on 17. Aside from that, it was a solid day.

Still, you can't help but go back to that snowman. That's the reason Stenson isn't leading this tournament, and it's the reason he's not going to win this tournament.

15. Ben Crane

Round 1: -3

Round 2: +1

Total: -2

Place: T11

On Thursday, Ben Crane really only had one bad hole, as he notched a bogey on the par-three fourth. The rest of the day went very smoothly.

Friday, on the other hand, was a struggle for Crane. He was solid early on, but a trio of bogeys on the final nine holes put a damper on things. He made mistakes he wasn't making on Thursday.

Crane's not going to win the Masters, either. He's probably happy that he's managed to avoid missing the cut for a fourth time.

14. Peter Hanson

Round 1: -4

Round 2: +2

Total: -2

Place: T11

Peter Hanson could do little wrong on Thursday, rising up the leaderboard with five birdies and no bogeys after a tough start on his first six holes. 

On Friday, Hanson was all over the place. He started with a double-bogey, and he added another double and two bogeys in a span of five holes on the back nine.

This is just the second start for Hanson at the Masters. In his first start last year, he missed the cut. He's trending in the right direction, but he can't be expected to win it all in 2012.

13. Aaron Baddeley

Round 1: -1

Round 2: -1

Total: -2

Place: T11

Aaron Baddeley enjoyed a nice-and-easy day on Thursday. There were a couple bumps in the road, but he erased those with some birdies and ultimately finished a stroke under.

Friday was anything but nice and easy. Baddeley had to bounce back from a pair of bogeys and a triple-bogey on his first seven holes. Luckily, he managed to settle down and finished out the rest of his round without too much trouble.

Baddeley is still in this thing, but I think he missed his chance. Take out his slow start on Friday and he's probably atop the leaderboard right now. He'll stay in the hunt, but he probably won't make a run at the green jacket.

12. Jim Furyk

Round 1: -2

Round 2: +1

Total: -1

Place: T19

Jim Furyk was remarkably efficient on Thursday, finishing at two-under, thanks to a pair of birdies and not a single bogey.

Furyk was anything but efficient on Friday, as he started his day on a negative note and then had to fight an uphill battle to even finish at one-over. The good fortune he enjoyed on Thursday abandoned him.

I'm not going to count Furyk out. His recent history at Augusta is solid, and he's shown, so far this season, that he still has lots of good golf left in him. Expect him to hover near the top of the leaderboard this weekend.

11. Nick Watney

Round 1: -1

Round 2: -1

Total: -2

Place: T11

Nick Watney had one bad stretch on Thursday, bogeying 10 and 11 back-to-back. Aside from that, he was solid.

Watney was a little more inconsistent on Friday. He started and finished with bogeys and juggled pars, bogeys and birdies in between. He just wasn't on top of his game like he was on Thursday.

I doubt that we're going to see Watney fade back intro irrelevance this weekend, but I don't think he's going to get hot enough to make a charge at the top of the leaderboard.

Super-low scores have been few and far between for him so far this season.

10. Louis Oosthuizen

Round 1: -4

Round 2: E

Total: -4

Place: T3

Louis Oosthuizen is in the hunt primarily because he got hot to finish up his day on Thursday, birdieing four of his last five holes.

Oosthuizen leveled out on Friday. He had a double-bogey on the par-five second, and then, he bogeyed four and five. It was an uphill battle from then on, so he deserves credit for at least managing to break even.

I wouldn't expect any greatness from Oosthuizen this weekend. He's been pretty inconsistent in the first two days. Take away that hot streak on Thursday and we're not even talking about him. 

9. Miguel Angel Jimenez

Round 1: -3

Round 2: E

Total: -3

Place: T8

If general awesomeness counted for anything, Miguel Angel Jimenez would be winning the Masters by a landslide.

It actually looked like Jimenez had a shot at making some noise in this tournament when he enjoyed a breezy first round, but Friday was a little bit more of a struggle. His sweet swing just wasn't producing the same results, and the greens weren't cooperating either.

Jimenez isn't a guy who's going to get spectacularly hot, so he's going to need the rest of the field to come back to him in order to make a run at the lead.

8. Sergio Garcia

Round 1: E

Round 2: -4

Total: -4

Place: T3

On Thursday, Sergio Garcia had some ups, but just as many downs—the story of his career.

Friday was much better, as Garcia managed to produce six birdies to just two bogeys. He was able to save par on all other holes—something he couldn't do yesterday.

You have to take Garcia's solid round for what it's worth. We've seen him do this before, and history tells us he's not going to maintain it. He's in the hunt but don't be surprised if he slides down the leaderboard this weekend.

7. Phil Mickelson

Round 1: +2

Round 2: -4

Total: -2

Place: T11

What we're seeing from Phil Mickelson at the Masters is a typical Phil Mickelson performance.

Lefty was all over the place on Thursday and was lucky to finish at two-over for the day. And that, of course, is saying something.

On Friday, Lefty got hot to finish out the day, ultimately wrapping up his round with birdies on four of the last seven holes. 

As always, I don't know what to make of Mickelson. He's either going to get even hotter on Saturday and Sunday, or he's going to go back to being all over the place. He's the most unpredictable golfer on the planet.

But, I'll be damned if I'm going to count him out.

6. Matt Kuchar

Round 1: -1

Round 2: -2

Total: -3

Place: T8

Matt Kuchar didn't do anything special on Thursday. He got off to a rough start, bogeying two of his first four holes, but he mixed in an early birdie and got two more on the back nine to finish at one-under.

On Friday, Kuchar was steady once again. He was, quite literally, par for the course up until a birdie on 13, and he finished his day with two birdies, a par and a bogey in his final four holes.

Kuchar is going to have to make a few more birdies to climb up the leaderboard. But judging from what we've seen so far, he's at least going to avoid plummeting. He's playing some good golf.

5. Bubba Watson

Round 1: -3

Round 2: -1

Total: -4

Place: T3

Bubba Watson spent much of Friday's second round merely trying to save par. The front nine was not kind to him, and at one point, he was at one-under for the tournament.

Watson righted the ship in his last nine holes, notching three birdies in four holes to go from two-over on the day to one-under.

Watson will be able to stay near the top of the leaderboard if he keeps playing the way he played in the first two rounds. He hasn't let things get out of hand, which is more than you can say about a lot of golfers in the field.

If Watson can keep avoiding killer mistakes, he might just snag the lead this weekend.

4. Fred Couples

Round 1: E

Round 2: -5

Total: -5

Place: T1

How about Fred Couples? The 1992 Masters champ has been off the radar for much of the tournament, but he made a huge charge on Friday with five birdies and not a single bogey in the last 12 holes he played. 

It's easy to chalk up Couples' standing on the leaderboard heading to Round 3 to good fortune but let's give him some credit. He's been playing Augusta for a long time, and he showed on Friday that some of the old magic is still there.

Don't sleep on Couples. He won this thing before. He can win it again.

3. Lee Westwood

Round 1: -5

Round 2: +1

Total: -4

Place: T3

For the most part, Lee Westwood stayed the course on Friday after jetting to the top of the leaderboard with a five-under 67 on Thursday. Nothing's wrong with that.

Unfortunately, Westwood stumbled on 18. He had a chance to end the day at one-under, but a double-bogey pushed him to one-over for the day and down the leaderboard a little.

Westwood is still in the hunt, but you wonder if this might be the start of yet another disappointing finish in a major tournament.

2. Jason Dufner

Round 1: -3

Round 2: -2

Total: -5

Place: T1

Jason Dufner very quietly shot a three-under 69 on Thursday, and he was pretty quiet on Friday, too. A double bogey on the par-three fourth messed up a nice little hot streak, but aside from that, Dufner played solid golf.

It seems solid golf is good enough this year, as long as it's coming consistently. Staying consistent is something Dufner has done better than most in the first two days of the tournament, so hats off.

Merely staying consistent won't be enough to earn Dufner his first major, however. The big guns are lurking as we head into the weekend. To hold them off, he'll have to do something special or hope the golf gods are on his side.

1. Rory Mcllroy

Round 1: -1

Round 2: -3

Total: -4

Place: T3

Rory McIlroy isn't the leader heading into the weekend, but he's the man to beat.

You could sense that McIlroy was going to do something special on Friday after finishing Thursday with consecutive birdies. Sure enough, he came out and played very well through nine holes and then managed to break even despite some slip-ups to finish out the day at three-under.

The last thing the field wants to see is McIlroy heading into the weekend in the hunt at the top of the leaderboard. Few golfers can get hot like he can.

The scary part is that McIlroy hasn't even gotten hot yet.