Tiger Woods Sets the Stage for Fifth Green Jacket with First-Round 70

The 2013 Masters Tournament is upon us, with the first round concluding and Sergio Garcia sharing the lead at six under par with Australian Marc Leishman. Four strokes off of the lead is none other than four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods.

After shooting a first-round 70 and sitting at two under par, Woods has set the stage for a fifth green jacket.

As 14-year-old prodigy Tianlang Guan stole the show with an opening-round 73, Woods paced himself to a quality round. He birdied three holes, hit for bogey just once and made a phenomenal save on the second hole.

All in all, Woods played well enough to remain in contention and seemed to develop a great feel for the course and conditions.

As history tells us, Tiger is in store for big things.

A History Lesson

From 2005 to 2011, Tiger Woods finished no lower than sixth in The Masters Tournament. He finished fourth or higher in six of those seven years, winning the green jacket in 2005.

Outside of a 2012 performance which was marred by controversy and injury, Woods has mastered Augusta National.

The key for Woods in each of those tournaments has been his ability to develop a steady pace throughout the four rounds. That was evident in 2011, when Woods shot an opening-round 71 and followed it up with a second-round 66.

If not for a third-round 74, Woods may have won the green jacket.

This is the story of Woods' recent career, as he's seen one bad round often derail his quest for another major. With that being said, Woods shot well enough in the First Round of the 2013 Masters to cure those woes.

History suggests he'll be in the running come the final day of action.

Within Striking Distance

As it presently stands, the two golfers atop the Masters leaderboard are Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman. Neither of those men have won a major title to date, with their dreams often fizzling out before the end.

As a four-time Masters champion, Tiger Woods is in perfect position to continue their woeful ways.

Woods has a long history of closing out major tournaments with dominant fourth-round performances. As recently as 2011, Woods shot a 67 during the fourth round of the Masters and nearly completed an improbable comeback

As previously stated, a third-round 74 crushed those dreams—don't bank on that happening again.

Woods is more than comfortable golfing from behind, specifically if he maintains a pace that will keep him in the running. Although this has become a birdie-happy event, Woods should be able to maintain pace at his current rate of play.

As long as Woods continues playing at his current rate of play, we could see Tiger take home his fifth green jacket—a mark that would leave him one shy of Jack Nicklaus's resume at Augusta National.