Masters 2018: Live Updates for Leaderboard Scores on Thursday

The Masters may or may not be the most important golf tournament of the year. It is certainly the event that the media focuses on more than any other.

The U.S. Open is a bigger challenge for most golfers because of the difficulty of the layout, and The Open Championship (the British Open to most Americans) has the most tradition and history. But the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, has the setting, plenty of tradition of its own, the challenge and it is the first major of the year.

Here's Bleacher Report's live blog for readers to stay updated on the Masters. Use this link to see the leaderboard.

It is clearly a huge event, and this year's tournament is loaded with stars like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia and, oh yes, Tiger Woods.

All of the above-mentioned players are playing well enough to have a shot at winning the tournament. However, the key is not putting together one or even two excellent rounds. It is about four consistent rounds and being able to handle the pressure that comes with playing the back nine on Sunday's final round.

With Mickelson playing well after winning the WGC-Mexico Championship and Woods back in form, this year's tournament comes with nearly unmatched excitement and the hope of an incredible finish.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Spieth has perhaps the perfect perspective on this year's Masters. He is not calling it the most anticipated tournament in the history of golf, but he knows it is something special.

"The addition of Tiger being healthy and playing well, no matter what else happened, was probably going to make it as anticipated as any going back five, six, seven years," Spieth said, per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post.

While there are several lesser-known golfers that could have an impact on the tournament by working their way on to the leaderboard, it's unlikely they will win the green jacket.

Spieth and McIlroy are the co-favorites to win the Masters at plus-1000 (bet $10 to win $100 and original stake), according to OddsShark. Thomas, who won five tournaments last year, including the PGA Championship, is the third choice at plus-1100, and Johnson, Woods and Rose are listed at plus-1400.

Here's a look at the top-20 betting choices in the field (ties included), from OddsShark.

Jordan Spieth +1000
Rory McIlroy +1000
Justin Thomas +1100
Dustin Johnson +1400
Tiger Woods +1400
Justin Rose +1400
Bubba Watson +1600
Jason Day +1800
Phil Mickelson +1800
Rickie Fowler +2200
Jon Rahm +2500
Paul Casey +2500
Sergio Garcia +3000
Hideki Matsuyama +3300
Henrik Stenson +4000
Alex Noren +4500
Tommy Fleetwood +4500
Matt Kuchar +4000
Patrick Reed +5500
Adam Scott +5500
Ian Poulter +5500
Louis Oosthuizen +5500

A year ago, Johnson was the favorite at the start of Masters week, but he suffered a fall in the house he was renting, injured his back and was unable to compete.

Johnson is healthy this year and is a formidable competitor. While every golfer in the field is gifted and accomplished, it's difficult to see anyone with a better all-around game than Johnson when he puts together a peak performance.

He gets explosive distance off the tee, can hone in on the pin with his irons and can go quite low when his putter is working. 

Spieth is not the overpowering golfer that Johnson or many of the other big hitters are on the tour, but he has shown that he can hit his best shots when the pressure is highest. Spieth has won three majors in his career, including the 2015 Masters.

He has not been in peak form this year, but he finished third in last week's Houston Open and comes into the Masters with some momentum. 

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

McIlroy had gone 18 months without a victory until he fired a 64 in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational to get past a strong field and win the title. McIlroy showed off his power and shot-making ability and wore the look of palpable relief after finally winning a tournament.

However, consistency is an issue for McIlroy, and it could keep him from playing well for four rounds in Augusta. The same issue could dog Woods.

While Tiger has finished 12th, tied for second and tied for fifth in his last three tournaments, he may not be ready to win a major just yet. It would be a great story if he could contend, but expecting him to win at this point seems too much to ask.

Tiger has four green jackets to his credit, while Mickelson has three. Lefty's all-or-nothing style will be a risk this week, though. 

Thomas is the top-ranked player in FedEx Cup points, and he has no discernible weaknesses to his game. He can bomb the ball with the biggest hitters in the sport, and he is also one of the best in the short game.

The action is underway, and the Masters is filled with hope, promise and a slew of stars who are near the peak of their game.