Masters Leaderboard 2020: Thursday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions
The first round of The Masters has been delayed because of inclement weather, which means we will have to wait longer to see Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and others out on course.
Johnson and McIlroy were scheduled to go off at 12:10 p.m. ET with Patrick Cantlay, but now it looks like the marquee group will have to wait a few more hours to hit the course at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
When they do, low scores are expected, since Johnson and McIlroy have been in solid form in 2020.
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Johnson has five top-10 finishes in his last seven major appearances, while McIlroy owns three top 10 placings in the previous five majors.
If Johnson and McIlroy carry that form into Augusta, they could be two of the biggest names on top of the leaderboard.
Full scoring updates from Augusta can be found at PGATour.com.
Tournament Predictions
Dustin Johnson Lands In Top 5
With the way Johnson has played at recent majors, it is almost expected of him to land in the top five.
Johnson has three outright or ties for second place and a third-place finish at the 2018 U.S. Open during his recent string of impressive major performances.
The 36-year-old American started The Masters with a first-round 68 in 2019, and he did not record a score above 70 last April.
In his last three Masters starts, Johnson finished in the top 10. He tied for fourth in 2016 and was in a tie for 10th in 2018.
Johnson will be tested from the start alongside McIlroy and Cantlay, two players who could win the green jacket in their own right, but he is used to playing in star-studded opening groups because of his stature on tour.
He comes into the Masters with three cards of 66 or better at the Houston Open. His last finish outside the top 10 was in August at the FedEx-St. Jude Invitational, where he still finished 12th.
Everything about Johnson's form this season and at majors suggests he will be in the mix for the title Sunday.
Rory McIlroy Earns 4th Top-10 Finish In Last 6 Majors
McIlroy feels like he is on the cusp of ending his six-year major drought.
The four-time major winner turned in back-to-back top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open and also landed in a tie for eighth at the 2019 PGA Championship.
Although he finished in a tie for 33rd at the 2020 PGA, McIlroy was still consistent with a 70-69-71-68 set of rounds.
The Northern Irishman is two years removed from a fifth-place tie at Augusta that he earned through a third-round 65. He also finished the 2019 edition of the event with a final-round 68 to move to the edge of the top 20.
In his two starts after the U.S. Open, McIlroy produced five rounds in the 60s. With the wet conditions expected to produce lower scores than first expected on Thursday, McIlroy could benefit from that form and start out near the top of the leaderboard.
If he pairs the consistency from the PGA with one or two low scores at Augusta, McIlroy should produce another top-10 placing.
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Statistics obtained from PGATour.com
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