Masters 2018 Leaderboard: Live Look at Friday Scores and Overall Predictions

Jordan Spieth surged into first place after one round of golf at the 2018 Masters, shooting six-under on Thursday. His Friday got off to a rough start, however, with a double bogey and then a bogey on his first two holes, pushing him back into a crowded pack.

Matt Kuchar was able to briefly maneuver his way into the lead simply by staying even through his first four holes, while Rory McIlroy roared early on with a bogey followed by two birdies to take an early share of first place at four-under. However, both players then faltered and fell into the pack of players hovering at three-under.

Tony Finau (three-under on Thursday) was in a state of decline early on, shooting two over through seven.

Phil Mickelson, still a constant threat at major tournaments despite joining the PGA Tour 26 years ago, was at two-under after staying even through his first five holes on Friday.

Even with all those big names already in contention, there are still plenty of top talents prepared to make a run at the top spot in afternoon play at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Those golfers with later tee times include Charley Hoffman, Henrik Stenson and Patrick Reed.

Tour players looking for a Masters renaissance include 55-year-old Vijay Singh, who shot 71 on Thursday, and Tiger Woods, who shot a somewhat disappointing 73 after playing some of his best golf in years coming into a tournament he has won four times in his career.

Live Updates

For live updates from Friday's second round, you can follow along with the daily Bleacher Report live blog, or follow this link to the official PGA Tour leaderboard.

Overall Predictions

Spieth is off to a rough start on Friday, but make no mistake, he will be in the thick of the race for the green jacket come Sunday. His 11th-place finish last year is his worst in the event; he won the tournament going wire-to-wire 2015 and tied for second in both 2014 and 2016.

The 24-year-old has already established himself as one of the leaders of the pack, and he has plenty of experience dealing with pressure at the Masters.

His early stumbles took his chances down to win a notch, per ESPN Stats & Info, but he has plenty of time to figure out his game in the second round:

While any golfer is vulnerable to a major meltdown—look no further than Sergio Garcia's repeated trips into the water on Thursday—Spieth has the talent and staying power to keep the other players on notice for three more rounds.

McIlroy has never won the Masters, but he's played well in previous tournaments, finishing in the top-10 in each of the last four years. The Northern Irishman has won at the other three golf majors, making the Masters the only missing piece of the puzzle.

He stumbled out of the gate on Friday, but he made golf look all too easy on his second hole with this birdie, per the PGA Tour:

With shotmaking like that, McIlroy will have as good a chance as anyone to take home the green jacket. 

One player who is primed to change his fortunes at the Masters is Henrik Stenson. He has never finished better than 14th at the Masters, and last year he missed the cut entirely.

However, he's played well in the buildup to Augusta, finishing in fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for sixth at the Houston Open—an event some golfers like to skip as they psyche up for the Masters.

For the likes of Stenson, and even Spieth, who finished tied for third at Houston, the extra work could pay dividends.

Stenson is just two years removed from his only major title, a win at the 2016 British Open, so this might be where he finally makes a run at another top tournament.