Masters Leaderboard 2013: Breaking Down Day 1 Scores

After falling out of contention in the third round of last year's Masters Tournament, a frustrated Sergio Garcia said he didn't think he had what it takes to win a major championship. After the first round of the 2013 Masters, however, he seems to have a more positive outlook.

Garcia fired a bogey-free six-under-par 66 en route to a tie for first place along with Australian Marc Leishman. The lead is Garcia's first ever after any round at the Masters.

"It was one of those frustrating moments," Garcia said in reference to last year's negative comments. "What I felt is that I definitely shot myself out of that tournament last year. But, every time I tee off, I play as well as I can and hope that my best that week is really good. Today was a nice day. It was one of those days you really enjoy. Hopefully I'll have three more of those and we'll see what happens on Sunday night."

Garcia has always been an emotional player. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he isn't afraid to speak his mind, sometimes before he has taken the time to think about what he should or shouldn't say. And those emotions oftentimes spill over to his actions on the golf course, resulting in performances he is, to put it mildly, less than pleased with.

There is a lot of golf left to play at this year's Masters Tournament but if today's round is any indication, Garcia, in his 15th trip to Augusta National Golf Club, is a more mature player that could be primed for a historic run at what he previously deemed unreachable territory.

He was composed and kept his emotions in check as he recovered from several wayward back-nine tee shots. Oh, and he putted well—only 27 shots with the flat stick Thursday—a must-have stat that will need to continue in his favor if he wants to win this week.

Garcia managed his stellar round thanks, in part, to ideal scoring conditions with little wind and receptive greens, but his lead with Leishman is a slim one on a leaderboard packed with former Masters champions and plenty of familiar names.

One recognizable player just a single shot back at five under par is long-hitting Dustin Johnson, who like Garcia, has been haunted by not having won a major despite being a favorite to break through at nearly every major event he plays in.

Johnson's round of 67 was the lowest of his four-year Masters career, an impressive performance highlighted by an average driving distance of 317 yards. He even managed a gargantuan 354-yard tee shot at the par-five 13th hole, hitting his approach with just a nine-iron en route to an eagle.

Distance off the tee has never been a problem for DJ. The knock on him has been his short game. Today, he chipped in twice for birdies. If Johnson combines his incredible distance off the tee with a deft touch around the greens—forget about winning one major—there's no telling how many he can win.

I mentioned former Masters champs. There are eight players with green jackets under par, within five shots off the lead: Trevor Immelman and Fred Couples (four-under-par), Zach Johnson (three-under-par), Tiger Woods (two-under-par), and Charl Schwartzel, Bernhard Langer, Phil Mickelson and Angel Cabrera at one-under-par.

Of course, as almost every first round at Augusta goes, a few names that aren't as well-known appear on the early leaderboard. In addition to co-leader Leishman, England's David Lynn is two shots back at four under par. And John Peterson, who finished fourth at last year's U.S. Open—just two shots behind winner Webb Simpson—is in the mix at one under par.

Additionally, there's 14-year-old amateur Tianlang Guan. While Guan was not under par, he did play an incredibly impressive round given his age, finishing with four birdies and a score of one-over-par 73 to lead all amateurs in the field. I watched Guan play several holes today and I'll jump on the bandwagon now. I'm convinced he's going to be a very special talent in the years to come. He seems oblivious to the pressure.

There is also an impressive list of "dark-horse" and pre-tournament favorites who appear on this Thursday leaderboard. Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar are only two shots back. Jim Furyk and Adam Scott are three back. Lee Westwood, Brandt Snedeker, Justin Rose, Jason Day and K.J. Choi are four off the pace.

I could go on. Any one of these outstanding players could win this Masters Tournament. The possibilities are seemingly endless at this stage. But the stage has yet to be set. There are three more rounds to play and it is anyone's guess who will rise to the top. As the saying goes, the Masters really begins on the back nine Sunday afternoon.