Masters 2014: Who to Watch Out for During Friday's 2nd Round

After Day 1 at Augusta National, Bill Haas leads the field at four-under par. Here's the leaderboard:

While these players will be the focus as Friday play begins, by the end of the afternoon, some new names will surely enter the conversation. 

Even if they didn't play their best Thursday, here are three golfers capable of putting themselves right back into the mix with a great second round.

(Side note: Only players at least five shots off the lead are included. Considered everyone else as already "in the mix.")

Thorbjorn Olesen

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Thorbjorn Olesen is a 24-year-old from Denmark and has arguably the most epic name in golf history.

He's also currently tied for 38th after a two-over 74 on Thursday.

Here's his scorecard:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Hole										Total
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	72
Score	4	4	4	6	5	4	3	4	4	74

If this guy's name sounds familiar, it's probably because you watched the Masters last year and witnessed his incredible performance in the last three rounds. 

After an opening round 78, he shot a 70, 68 and 68 and finished tied for sixth place.

Clearly, Olesen knows how to play Augusta National, and if he can match what he did last year the rest of the way, he could put himself in a great position to notch his first PGA Tour win.

Billy Horschel

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The 27-year-old Billy Horschel, who is playing in his first Masters, struggled out of the gate Thursday and ended up three-over par.

Here's his scorecard:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	4	5	4	4	5	4	4	5	4	39
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	72
Score	5	4	2	4	4	5	3	5	4	75

Horschel is currently tied for 51st place, but he's just seven shots off the lead. A solid round Friday would put him right back in the thick of things.

Though his only PGA Tour win was at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans last year, Horschel clearly has all the talent in the world. 

He was a four-time All-American at the University of Florida, and in last year's U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, he did something remarkable.

During his second round, he hit all 18 greens in regulation. That hadn't been done in more than 20 years.

Can he continue his Round 2 magic at Augusta? 

Harris English

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Harris English recorded a hole-in-one during his practice round. That has to be a good sign, right?

Here's his scorecard from the first round:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
Hole
Par	4	5	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	36
Score	5	4	4	3	4	3	5	5	4	37
Par	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	4	72
Score	4	4	5	5	4	4	3	3	5	74

Not all that impressive.

However, if it wasn't for his double bogey on the par-three 12th hole, he'd be in prime position right now. 

Since he averages the 20th longest driving distance on tour coming into the Masters, English should be able to capitalize on Augusta's par fives and long par fours. 

If he's able to do that, expect him to be much closer to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend.

The last three Masters champions—Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, and Charles Schwartzel—all won despite having played their worst golf during the second rounds.

So perhaps, Fridays are of less importance than Thursdays or Sundays.

Or perhaps, it's silly to analyze the past history of a sport where literally anything can happen.

Whether a golfer has had past success at Augusta (Olesen), plays a style that fits the course (English) or is simply supremely talented (Horschel), there are plenty of reasons to predict success.

Now, we watch.