Masters Leaderboard 2017: Friday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions
The actual golf was almost a secondary storyline during Thursday's first round of the 2017 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson withdrew with a back injury he suffered during a Wednesday fall on the stairs, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com. "It sucks," Johnson said. "Obviously, I want to play more than anything. It hurts. I was going everything I could to try and play."
What's more, gusting winds helped prevent anyone but Charley Hoffman (seven-under 65) from posting a head-turning score. He and William McGirt (three-under 69) were the only golfers in the entire field to break 70.
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Johnson's absence and the lack of a high number of dominant performances in the first round means the tournament is wide-open. With that in mind, here is a look at the leaderboard, which will be updated throughout Friday's round, as well as a couple of tournament predictions.
Leaderboard
Tournament Predictions
Phil Mickelson Finishes in the Top 10
Phil Mickelson turned in a steady one-under 71 Thursday considering "the swirling winds were gusting at more than 30 mph," per the Associated Press (h/t Washington Post), and is in position to finish inside the top 10.
He wasted little time making a move with an eagle on No. 2 thanks to a beautiful putt, as Masters Highlights captured:
Mickelson struggled in the middle of his round with bogeys on Nos. 5, 6, 10 and 11 but closed in strong fashion with five pars and two birdies in the last seven holes.
His formidable round should come as little surprise considering his Masters history. This is his 25th Masters, and he boasts three green jackets and 15 top-10 finishes. He can fall back on his successful experience and shouldn't be impacted by the Augusta pressure over the weekend as he parlays the momentum from his strong Thursday finish into legitimate contention.
It wouldn't be the first time, as Justin Ray of the Golf Channel noted:
His impressive putt on No. 2 was a hint of what's to come. According to his PGA Tour profile, he was third in putting average and first in putts per round, as of Thursday.
Mickelson already has three top-10s this season and will ride his putting to a fourth at the Masters.
Rory McIlroy Wins the Green Jacket
Perhaps bothered by the weather, Rory McIlroy's 2017 Masters got off to an ominous start.
He notched three bogeys on the front nine, including two in his first three holes. However, he didn't tally a singly bogey the rest of the way and posted birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 16 to salvage his opening round.
The way he turned things around should serve as a warning to the rest of the field, seeing how he is lurking in a tie for 12th place after an even-par 72.
Ewan Murray of the Guardian praised McIlroy for his performance:
He still has to catch Hoffman, but the Masters leader has been cut six times and has just two top-10 finishes in 12 events this season. Hoffman is not going to completely fall off the pace after such a formidable showing Thursday, but he will come back to the pack during the course of the weekend.
That will open the door for McIlroy's first green jacket after three straight top-10 finishes at the Masters.
According to McIlroy's PGA Tour profile, he boasted a driving distance of 318.8 yards and a greens-in-regulation percentage of 73.61, as of Thursday. If he presumably played enough events this year, he would rank in the top 10 of each stat.
If he sticks to the formula of shortening the course with his drives and marksmanship attacking the greens, he will apply pressure to Hoffman as well as those ahead of him and rapidly climb the leaderboard until he eventually wins.
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