Masters 2016 Leaderboard: Live Look at Thursday Scores and Overall Predictions

Play is underway at Augusta National Golf Club as players from around the globe look to capture the green jacket in the 80th Masters Tournament. Jordan Spieth arrived as the defending champion after a four-stroke victory in last year's event.

The 22-year-old American is facing no shortage of fellow contenders, though. It's a wide-open field, with Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson just a handful of the other notable names with realistic shots at winning the season's first major title.

Let's check out how the leaderboard is currently shaping up as the first day of action rolls on. That's followed by a breakdown of the tournament's outlook and predictions for the top finishers.

Masters Leaderboard

Tournament Predictions

One name missing from the entry list is Tiger Woods, who announced last week that he wouldn't compete while continuing to recover from back problems. In many ways, this year's tournament is the antithesis of the ones during the longtime star's prime.

Woods always showed up to Augusta as the overwhelming favorite and on four occasions walked away as champion. This time around there's no clear favorite, and the number of winners who would qualify as true shocks is limited. It should be a highly entertaining battle to the finish.

The defending champion took to the course Thursday under unique circumstances. According to Nick Menta of Golf Channel, Spieth stated at the Golf Writers Association of America's annual banquet Wednesday that he cracked his driver head during the final day of preparation.

Although Spieth also told Golf Channel he actually liked the initial feel of the replacement driver better, it's something to keep in mind as the week goes on. In a tournament where the margin for error will likely be thin, even small issues will be magnified.

Getting off to a strong start is one of the most important keys on an annual basis. Last year, Spieth shot an eight-under 64 and never looked back. Only seven other players shot better than that score for the entire tournament, so don't overlook the importance of Thursday's play.

One of the golfers from that group of seven, Ian Poulter, passed along the hole locations for Round 1:

Aside from Spieth, the other top contenders are Day and McIlroy. That trio is probably going to create plenty of memorable moments this season, as all three are playing really well at the same time.

Day, who won the PGA Championship to close out the 2015 major season, is coming off back-to-back wins in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Accenture Match Play. In all, he's finished 11th or better in four of his six starts so far in 2016.

A quick look at his swing from Golf Digest helps explain that consistent success:

Meanwhile, McIlroy is still looking for his first win of the current campaign. He's been trending in the right direction, however, with two top-five finishes in his last three starts. A triumph this weekend would allow him to complete the career Grand Slam.

The four-time major champion is carrying some positive vibes into the event, as relayed by the Irish Examiner.

"My game feels good," McIlroy said. "It's all about going out there over the next four days and executing the shots the way I need to and being mentally strong. But I feel good. I probably feel a little bit more subdued going in this time because I haven't had the win this year, but I feel like my game is right there."

Those players are all high-profile names in the golf world. One player trying to reach that level, and a potential sleeper pick, is Danny Willett. The 28-year-old Englishman has finished in the top five in four of his seven worldwide starts this season, highlighted by a win in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

He's also been picking up some Augusta tips from a two-time Masters champion this week:

All told, this is one of the toughest Masters to forecast in recent memory. Not only are the game's biggest stars playing well, but the secondary wave of contenders is filled with players like Willett, who are certainly capable of stringing together four strong days to steal the spotlight.

It's hard to pick against Day given his form since the second half of last year, though. On a course that's going to punish even the smallest mistakes, he's the most prepared to grind out pars and take advantage of birdie opportunities when they arise.

Predicted Top Three: 1. Jason Day 2. Rory McIlroy 3. Danny Willett