Masters 2013 Tee Times: Pairings and Predictions for Friday

After a splendid first day of golf at the 2013 Masters, we have some surprising leaders at Augusta.

None other than the fiery Sergio Garcia posted a six-under-par 66 on Thursday, notching five birdies in his first 10 holes.

Tiger Woods posted a respectable two-under 70. Bubba Watson, the 2012 champion, had a frustrating day, finishing with a three-over 75. Rory McIlroy ended up with an even-par 72.

Notable players such as Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, 2008 champion Trevor Immelman, Fred Couples, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, 2007 champion Zach Johnson and Adam Scott all finished in the top 10 (with ties).

Here's a look at the tee times for some notable groups on Friday, complete with analysis and predictions. You can see all the tee times at Masters.com.

Angel Cabrera, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott: 9:39 a.m.

Fred Couples, Dustin Johnson, Branden Grace: 9:50 a.m. 

Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer: 10:23 a.m.

Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Fredrik Jacobson: 10:34 a.m. 

Mike Weir, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk: 12:13 p.m.

Brandt Snedeker, Ryo Ishikawa, Justin Rose: 12:24 p.m.

Zach Johnson, K.J. Choi, Graeme McDowell: 12:57 p.m.

Bubba Watson, Ian Poulter, Steven Fox: 1:30 p.m.

Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Scott Piercy: 1:41 p.m.

Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington: 1:52 p.m.

Analysis

Just remember, folks: We still have three more rounds to go at Augusta.

It's easy to overanalyze one day of golf. Sergio's strong first day—as well as the fact that none other than Marc Leishman shares the lead at six-under—need to be taken with a grain of salt. Garcia was at two-under through two days last year at Augusta, but a 75 in the third round led to a meltdown by the Spaniard.

Obviously, Garcia has the talent to win the Masters. We've known that for years. But it always comes down to whether he can stay composed on the links. He was in a rather good mood on Thursday; then again, he had a big day.

I think the fact that Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Fred Couples—three former Masters winners—are in the Top 10 after one day is no fluke. Augusta is one of the few courses in the world where you really have to understand how the ball rolls or you're doomed. Having familiarity with the course is very important.

Rickie Fowler's strong performance on Thursday is interesting. The 24 year old played better at Augusta in 2012 than he did in his first appearance in 2011. He posted a two-over 74 on the first day of the tournament last year en route to a 27th-place finish, so it's certainly a good sign that he has started out confident this year. He's also coming off a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Jim Furyk is a veteran with four career top-10 finishes at the Masters. He finished 11th last year at Augusta, his best finish at a major since 2009. I could certainly see him hanging around down the stretch.

Matt Kuchar finished third at the Masters last year. He's also ranked 22nd on tour in putting this year (strokes gained), per PGATour.com. So it's no surprise that the 34 year old is doing well at Augusta.

As for Adam Scott, I was high on him before the tournament began. The 32 year old has yet to capture a major, but he's posted eight career top-10 finishes in majors. That includes three top-10 finishes at the Masters (he finished tied for eighth last year).

Scott has been inconsistent this year, but he does have the power to distance himself from other competitors off the tee at Augusta. He ranks sixth on tour in driving distance this year, per PGATour.com.

Predictions

It's always hard for me to fully endorse Sergio Garcia, given some of the blowups he's had through the years. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a nice day on Friday, but I don't expect him to hold the lead. Expecting Garcia to be consistently level-headed is not practical.

Marc Leishman somehow emerging from the pack to capture his first career green jacket is highly unlikely, although we've seen stranger things in majors. The 29-year-old doesn't rank well in any category this season.

And while Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Fred Couples are former winners at the historic tournament, they haven't played particularly well on the PGA Tour this year (although Couples has played well in Champions tournaments).

I actually like Rickie Fowler hanging around until the final day. He has some momentum after his third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and he ranks 25th on tour in putting this year (strokes gained).

I expect Adam Scott, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose to rise up the leaderboard down the stretch. As for Rory McIlroy, he didn't look right on Thursday, nor did he finish particularly well. He's talented enough to make a move, but it's hard for me to see him finishing in the top 10 this year at Augusta.

I'm still going with my pick of Tiger to win the 2013 Masters.