Masters 2015: Leaderboard Scores, Analysis, Highlights and More from Thursday

There's just something magical about Augusta and the Masters, and there was certainly magic in the air on Thursday as several men chased history and another sought redemption. The storylines coming into the tournament were plentiful, and Thursday's action didn't disappoint.  

Let's break down the leaderboard and highlights from an excellent opening round at the Masters.

Leaderboard

Recap

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Jordan Spieth couldn't set or tie a course record at Augusta on Thursday. He couldn't set a majors record by shooting a 62, either. But boy, did he come close. 

The 21-year-old phenom was superb on Thursday, finishing with an eight-under 64 that put him squarely in the lead after the first round of the Masters. Only Nick Price (63) and Greg Norman (63) have ever shot better at Augusta. Save a bogey on No. 15, Spieth played a nearly flawless round of golf, finishing with nine birdies. 

Charley Hoffman, Ernie Els, Justin Rose and Jason Day are his closest competition after each shot a 67 on the day. Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia led a group of players at 68, highlighted by this shot on No. 14, per the Masters on Twitter:

Spieth was pleased with his afternoon, as he should have been, per BBC Sport on Twitter:

Every other player on the course would have been fine with being "wayward" like Spieth claimed he was at one point. He hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and 11 of 14 fairways in the par-four and -five holes, per Masters.com. Quite simply, he was sublime.  

And he has the chance to join some lofty company after his huge first round, as Jason Sobel of ESPN noted while also passing along an interesting statistic:

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, folks. As Justin Ray of the Golf Channel tweeted, Spieth's big start hardly guarantees him anything:

Rory McIlroy, the man chasing a career Grand Slam and looking to complete it with a win at this year's Masters, had an up-and-down afternoon, shooting a 71. His start might not bode well for his quest to end his Augusta drought, per Ray:

The Masters on Twitter passed along a video recap of his round:

Bubba Watson, who has won two of the last three Masters, also shot a 71 on the day. He wasn't the only Watson to finish with that score, as the PGA Tour on Twitter noted:

Tom Watson provided one of the highlights of the day, per the Masters on Twitter:

Phil Mickelson had a pretty solid afternoon, meanwhile, shooting a 70. 

And then there was Tiger Woods, returning from a two-month absence. While fans didn't get to see vintage Woods on Thursday, the former superstar played pretty well given some of the rust he needed to shake off, finishing with a 73. 

Woods' performance certainly impressed Trey Wingo of ESPN:

While his approach game was pretty shaky throughout, Woods looked good once he picked up the putter. He talked about that after his round, per Golf Digest on Twitter:

Woods isn't going to win this tournament. But he doesn't seem likely to embarrass himself, either, and coming off an injury and playing at this course, that's a feat in itself. 

Of course, there were no feats quite like what Spieth accomplished on Thursday. While there is a talented field nipping at his heels, it's going to be tough to catch the 21-year-old if he continues to golf like he did in the first round. 

McIlroy, Watson and Day, among others, have a lot of work ahead.