Masters Leaderboard 2018: Thursday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions

Vijay Singh hasn't recorded a round under 70 at the Masters since 2006, but he is on track to change that at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

The 2000 Masters champion, who missed the cut in each of the last two tournaments at Augusta, is out to an early lead in Thursday's first round.

The 55-year-old birdied three of his first four holes of the round before any of the top contenders hit the course.

Singh is one of two players with years of experience at the front of the field at the moment, as 61-year-old Mark O'Meara used a birdie on the fifth hole to get into red numbers.

Singh and O'Meara could be joined soon at the top of the leaderboard by contenders Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson when they start their respective rounds.

Masters Score Update

Singh is three-under through four holes, while O'Meara is two shots behind.

All scores can be found here. Live updates of the tournament can be found here.

Tournament Predictions

Phil Mickelson Finally Gets Back to Form at Augusta

Although Phil Mickelson is the owner of three green jackets, he hasn't achieved a ton of success in recent years at Augusta.

The 47-year-old, five-time major winner made the cut once in the last five Masters, but this is the year he finally gets back on track.

Mickelson comes into the Masters with six consecutive results in the top 25 on the PGA Tour, including a victory at the World Golf Championships event in Mexico at the start of March.

He cooled off a bit compared to the rest of the field at last week's Houston Open, but he still finished 10-under par with two rounds in the 60s.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Mickelson, who is in a threesome alongside Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar for the first two rounds, appears ready to challenge at Augusta for the first time since 2015, when he finished in a tie for second.

Not only does Mickelson have recent form going in his favor, but he comes in a bit under the radar with Woods back at Augusta and Jordan Spieth turning into the master of the tournament in recent years.

With less pressure on his shoulders, and a few familiar playing partners with him for the first two rounds, Mickelson finds a level of comfort and makes a lasting impact on the 2018 Masters with a top-10 finish.

Rory McIlroy Continues to Thrive At Augusta, Headlines Sunday's Final Group

The common thought surrounding Rory McIlroy at the Masters is he doesn't play well because of his epic collapse in 2011, in which he recorded the worst final-round score by a third-round leader in Masters history. 

Although the 80 from seven years ago still gets brought up when discussing his history at Augusta, the 28-year-old has been a constant in the top 10 over the last four years. 

David Cannon/Getty Images

Outside of a second-round 77 in 2014, the 28-year-old shot 11 rounds of 73 or lower to earn a quartet of top-10 finishes. 

A year ago, McIlroy, who tees of Thursday at 1:38 p.m. ET, used a final-round 69 to secure a tie for seventh place with an overall score of three-under. 

While he hasn't produced a string of consistent results this season like Mickelson and others, McIlroy is peaking at the right time, as he captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational title three weeks ago.

Since winning at Bay Hill in Orlando, McIlroy spent time at Augusta, as he played 54 holes last week and 36 the week before, per ESPN's Marty Smith:

With results coming at the right time, and plenty of time spent studying the course in recent weeks, McIlroy is in a great position to start off strong Thursday and end up back in the final group for Sunday's final round.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from PGATour.com and augusta.com.