The Masters 2013: 77th Tournament Shaping Up to Be One of Augusta's Best

If you believe in lucky sevens, the 2013 Masters has been the tournament for you. 

The 77th annual major championship at Augusta National has not failed to disappoint through the opening two rounds of action and should continue well through Saturday and Sunday's final two rounds to determine this year's green jacket winner. 

In fact, this Masters is shaping up to be one of the best ever in Augusta history. 

CBS Sports' Kyle Porter certainly felt like it had the potential to be one the best tournaments of all time—maybe even the best:

Australian Jason Day topped the leaderboard at the end of the second round, posting an overall score of six-under and taking a one-stroke lead over 53-year-old former Masters champion Fred Couples and fellow Aussie Marc Leishman. 

Heading into the third round on Saturday, Tiger Woods is also in contention at one-under, while Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose (No. 2 and 3 behind Woods on the world golf rankings, respectively) are both lurking within the shadows as tournament play begins on Saturday afternoon. 

Uncharacteristically, Phil Mickelson currently has the highest score (nine-over) of the remaining golfers that made the cut. 2012 champion Bubba Watson also started slow, but he has surged back to two over with a good start to his day on Friday. 

Watson, charismatic as he is talented, also continues to bring life to the sport with his playful antics (via B/R's Twitter account):

The big story so far has been the inclusion of the tournament committee. 

Tianlang Guan, who at 14 years old is the youngest participant ever in the Masters, was victimized a stroke on the 17th hole on Friday afternoon (via ABC News). The penalty was given for slow play, a curious decision since Guan was, at the time, somewhat clear of the projected cut line. 

With the added stroke, Guan moved to four over, making us all sit on pins and needles as he waited to see if he could add another "first" to his already impressive list of eighth-grade golf accomplishments. As Day failed to convert a birdie chance on No. 18, Guan did just that, becoming the youngest player to ever make the cut at Augusta. 

So far, Guan has been the story of the tournament. He finished five over on Friday, taking his total to nine over for the tournament. Even with a high score, what he did on the first two days to make a push to stay in the field will forever live in Augusta lore. 

The rules committee also opened Friday morning up with some stark controversy. 

Woods had things going on No. 15 until he hit his third shot too perfect, striking the pin with the ball and then watching it roll down into the water off the green. Woods then took a drop before hitting an identical shot, taking a bogey-six on the hole. 

With tournament rule 26-1 firmly entrenched in the committee members' minds, Woods was facing the brink of a disqualification on Saturday morning for turning in a scorecard that did not include an extra shot for an illegal drop on the hole. 

Instead, he was assessed a two-stroke penalty (as noted by Porter of CBS Sports) and will start his day five shots back of the leader with a green jacket in sight. 

If having Woods in the bad graces of the golf rule gods wasn't enough to wet your whistle with Masters action, remember that Tiger is also chasing Jack Nicklaus' record six Masters wins. With four, Tiger can set himself alone in second place with a win at the first major of the 2013 season.

Although it will be tough, Woods has history and a favorable comparison on his side, as noted by ESPN's Justin Ray on Twitter:

Looking at the rest of the leaderboard, there's almost too many storylines to keep track of. 

Old-timers Fred Couples (Masters winner in 1992), Angel Cabrera (2009) and Jim Furyk (four top-10 finishes at Augusta) are all in contention on the third day, proving that age and experience are just as valuable as talent at Augusta. 

The European players have also come ready to blow this thing wide open. Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and McIlroy lead a host of European golfers eager to make this American-soil event taste like the 2012 Ryder Cup, as all are within five strokes of the leader and are quietly playing good golf. 

An Australian has also never won the Masters, but three are threatening to do so. 

Day, Leishman and Adam Scott are all in the top portion of the board, while John Senden sits just four strokes back at two-under. There's going to be a Masters winner from Australia one day; this year could be the one.  

So who wins out on Sunday?

That question is what makes the Masters great, in addition to the chances for personal heroics and taking this course by its horns and conquering it once and for all on the final day. With an extremely compact leaderboard and no favorite, there's no telling who will win it all on Sunday with a green jacket waiting in the clubhouse. 

If you're a fan of golf—and sports in general—I hope this tournament has peaked your interest in the sport. Not every tournament can feel like the annual one at Augusta, but recognize that we could be on the verge of placing the 2013 event in an elite category of an already elite event. 

There's a reason why the tournament tagline is "unlike any other."

Buckle the seat belts on your couch the next two days—the Masters is back and better than ever.