Masters 2017 Leaderboard: Latest Scores and Standings from Thursday at Augusta

The 2017 Masters teed off Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

As the first round unfolds, you can view the live results below:

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player continued the tradition of serving as the tournament's honorary starters. This was the first Masters since Arnold Palmer's death last September.

Prior to teeing off, Nicklaus saluted his competitive rival, per PGA Tour Champions:

"This is a wonderful and difficult day," Masters chairman William Payne said of the occasion, according to USA Today's Steve DiMeglio. "[Palmer] was more than a King. He was my friend. He was your friend."

A four-time Masters champion, Palmer won his first green jacket in his fourth try. Jordan Spieth enters his fourth Masters already with one title and two runner-up finishes.

ESPN Stats & Info noted how much better than the rest of the field the 23-year-old has performed at Augusta:

Spieth's form has dipped a bit of late. After finishing in the top 10 in each of his first five PGA Tour events, he placed 22nd and 12th at his next two events and then missed the cut at the Shell Houston Open.

Ahead of Thursday's first round, the 23-year-old discussed how he looks forward to playing at Augusta every year, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac: 

"

I like the golf course, specifically I like the elevation changes, the sidehill lies, the pull to Rae's Creek, the way it affects putts. It's imaginative golf. It's feel golf and I really enjoy that. When I can go away from technicality and towards feel, it's an advantage for me personally, compared to how I play other places.

"

Spieth may not have to worry about one of his top obstacles to a second green jacket: Dustin Johnson.

The Associated Press' Doug Ferguson reported Wednesday Johnson, who won his last three PGA tournaments, fell and injured his back. 

The 32-year-old's odds of winning his first Masters slipped to 9-1, third-best on OddsShark.

Even if he's healthy enough to play, Johnson's back injury could continue to linger throughout the weekend, thus affecting his performance.

The leaderboard will change plenty of times over the next four days, but getting off to a strong start is imperative to contend for the Masters title. Each of the last five champions were in the top 10 following the opening round.

The overall difficulty of Augusta makes it even harder for a golfer to come back from a poor first round, and many of the biggest comebacks—Charl Schwartzel in 2011, Danny Willett in 2016 and Nick Faldo in 1996—involved the leader collapsing on the final day.

Chances are that the leader after 18 holes won't stay there for the entirety of the tournament. But the first day should give fans a good idea of the true challengers for this year's trophy.