Masters Leaderboard 2014: Twitter Reacts to Day 1 Results and Standings

Augusta National is in Bill Haas' blood. 

Not literally, of course. That would be weird. But the 31-year-old Haas, who has made four straight Masters cuts and finished 20th in 2013, has some incredible family roots in between the famous pines. 

Golf Central noted the historical link to Haas' family tree:

It doesn't quite stop there, either. According to GolfChannel.com's Jason Sobel, 19 of those made cuts resulted in five top-10s and a third-place finish for Bill's dad, while two of his uncles, including one who was low amateur in 1985, have also played the Masters.

Bill talked about his dad's influence, via Sobel:

"

He's the person I looked up to the most. He's the person I idolized golf‑wise. It was great -- loved watching him compete, loved watching him play. I got such a rise seeing him on the leaderboard.

"

After a four-under 68 on Thursday that has him alone atop the leaderboard, Haas is well on his way to continuing in the family footsteps. 

Here's a look at the leaders:

In terms of holding off those behind him, it doesn't get much more difficult for Haas, with the last two Masters champions and the 2012 runner-up all one stroke behind. 

Adam Scott, who won in 2013 and added two more top-five finishes at the Open Championship and the PGA Championship, is undoubtedly the most dangerous. 

Golf Digest's Mike O'Malley noted just how dominant the Aussie has been at Augusta:

Those numbers would be even better if not for a double-bogey on No. 12 after his tee shot went swimming. Still, outside that particular shot, Scott felt good about his day, via Golf.com's Twitter feed:

As the PGA Tour Media Twitter feed pointed out, he's looking to join an extremely prestigious club: 

Of course, Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen, who competed in the famous 2012 playoff, are right there with Scott. 

Watson was the only player in the field with a bogey-free round, and ESPN's Justin Ray pointed out just how unusual his day was: 

As we move outside the top five, there are still several dangerous players right there in contention. 

Rory McIlroy, who entered as the co-favorite along with Scott, currently sits in a tie for 12th place after a one-under 71. The 24-year-old struggled with his short game, three-putting on Nos. 12 and 18, but The Telegraph's Paul Hayward saw promise in his round:

Perhaps the most astounding result from Round 1 action is the array of different players sitting in the top 20. 

There are the youngsters—Matteo Manassero and Jordan Spieth, both 20—and there is the veteran—Fred Couples.

Justin Ray tied the trio together:

Then you have the melting pot of nationalities all in contention. The Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman put it best: 

Speaking of Gary Player, the Associated Press caught this tremendous photo of an iconic trio going for the vaunted three-way handshake: 

Of course, it wasn't such a great opening round for everyone. 

Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose both shot a 76, Zach Johnson, Graham DeLaet and Hideki Matsuyama shot 78s and Jason Dufner shot an 80. 

ESPN Stats & Info and Yahoo! Sports' Shane Bacon put some unbelievable numbers behind Thursday's underwhelming performances:

The performance from Lefty, who typically tears up Augusta, was perhaps the most surprising. The three-time winner now has to scramble to make the cut, as he discussed to reporters after his round, via Tilghman:

Craig Stadler, who is in 95th place after an 82 (while his son Kevin is 90 spots higher after a round of 70), probably put it best for everyone who struggled on the day, via Golf World Magazine's Dave Shedloski:

Although some of the bigger names are essentially out of contention, the top of the leaderboard is jam-packed with talent, making Friday's action incredibly inviting. 

The Masters never fails to captivate, and after just 18 holes, it's already clear that will once again be true in 2014.