Masters 2013 Leaderboard: Latest Scores from Augusta

Although the 2013 golf season has been in full swing for a few months, the Masters marks the true beginning of the golf calendar for most fans. In what is arguably the most important major of the year, there is no shortage of candidates to secure the green jacket.

Bubba Watson was last year's winner, and the hard-hitting lefty is certainly among the favorites again this weekend. In addition to Watson, all eyes will be on Tiger Woods as he continues to chase Jack Nicklaus' major victories record. Rory McIlroy has had a tough season to this point, but he too should be in the mix. 

Here are the latest scores for the 2013 Masters from Augusta National, as well as the storylines you should be following as the tournament progresses.

Can Tiger Get Back on Track?

Tiger Woods hasn't won a major tournament since the 2008 U.S. Open, but he is playing his best golf in years and is the odds-on favorite to prevail. Tiger is a four-time Masters winner, but he would love to add a fifth green jacket to his closet.

It certainly won't be easy, but it seems like Woods is once again the most-feared player on the PGA Tour. He already has three wins in 2013 and had three in 2012 as well.

The biggest key to Tiger's tournament will likely be his putter, as he is at his very best when he is nailing intermediate birdie putts. All he needs in order to signify that he is officially "back" is a major triumph. That very well may come this weekend.

Will Bubba Watson Repeat?

Bubba Watson has been a rising star on the PGA Tour for the past few years, but he was never able to truly break out until he won the Masters last year. It was just the fourth overall victory of Watson's PGA Tour career and he hasn't won since, but he has all the tools necessary to conquer the long course.

Watson is one of the longest players off the tee in all of professional golf, and his ad-libbing skills got him out of trouble a few times at Augusta National last year.

He'll be hard-pressed to recapture the magic that led him to greatness in 2012, but he knows what it takes to nab the green jacket.

Is Rory McIlroy on a Decline?

After a strong 2012 season that saw him win the PGA championship, many golf fans were ready to anoint McIlroy the best player in the sport. McIlroy's 2013 season has been much more trying, however, and the red-hot Tiger Woods has usurped him as the No. 1 player in the rankings, according to OfficialWorldGolfRanking.com.

McIlroy has not won this year and it seems like his confidence is shaky at best. That doesn't bode well for his Masters chances, especially against such a stacked field.

There is absolutely no doubt that McIlroy has the tools necessary to succeed and ultimately win, but he needs to make sure his head is on straight.

Will Phil Mickelson Contend for His Fourth Green Jacket?

Like Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson has struggled thus far in 2013, but he has a track record of success at the Masters, having won on three occasions. Mickelson's last Masters win came in 2010 and he hasn't won a major since then, so the wily veteran is certainly hungry to get back in the win column.

This season has been an up-and-down one for Mickelson, although he did manage to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open back in February. Lefty is one of the streakiest players in the sport, so he tends to either be unbelievably good or unbelievably bad.

Mickelson and his fans are hoping that the former is true this week because he's a real threat to win if it is.

How Will 14-Year-Old Tianlang Guan Do?

He may not be a contender like Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson, but 14-year-old sensation Tianlang Guan is easily one of the most intriguing figures in the entire Masters field.

According to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, Guan is the youngest player to ever compete in the Masters, and the Chinese star has already received a ton of praise from tournament favorite Tiger Woods.

Not many people are expecting Guan to finish in the top 10 or to even make the cut for that matter, but he is an ideal human-interest story. As anyone who has followed Michelle Wie knows, supposed prodigies don't always work out in golf, but many believe that Guan is the future.

If that is the case, then everyone will want to get a glimpse of him this week.

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