With Round 1 of the 2013 Masters in the books, the excitement level will only continue to grow heading into Friday. Here's what you need to know about the start of round 2 and what you may have missed from Thursday.
Round 2 Broadcast Coverage: ESPN television, 3 p.m., EDT; masters.com free Live Stream beginning at 10:45 a.m., EDT
Stat of the Day: 45 players carded rounds of Par or better in the opening round
Day 1 Storylines
Perhaps the biggest story of the day not including Tiger Woods was the play of Tianlang Guan, who posted a 1-over 73. The youngest player to ever qualify for the Masters, this 14-year-old sensation gave fans in attendance a glimpse of the future. Paired with Ben Crenshaw, Guan birdied his final hole, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
4-time Masters champion Tiger Woods started his quest for a fifth green jacket with 5 straight pars before a birdie at the Par 3 6th hole moved him into red numbers. His only bogey of the day came at the 14th as he went on to post a solid round of -2.
Sergio Garcia has a share of the lead at -6 following a bogey-free round of 66. The 33-year-old Garcia's best finish at Augusta came in a tie for 4th back in 2004, which was also the last time he finished in the Top 10 at the Masters. While this Day 1 performance may come as a surprise, a strong Friday will leave Garcia right in the mix heading into the weekend.
Garcia shares the lead with Australian Marc Leishman. Following a bogey at the Par 4 1st, Leishman finshed the day with a total of 7 birdies including 4 in a row from holes 13 through 16.
While 14-year-old Tianlang Guan was mystifying fans at every hole, 53-year-old Fred Couples received some of the day's loudest roars. Heading into Friday, the 1992 Masters champ is only two shots behind Garcia and Marc Leishman following his 4-under round.
Defending champion Bubba Watson was less that spectacular posting a plus-3 75. Recording only 1 birdie in addition to 4 bogeys, Watson was never able to establish any momentum. Now 9 shots back after day 1, Watson desperately needs a sub-70 round to avoid missing the cut.
Round 2 Preview
One of the players expected to compete and make a push for his first major title entering Thursday was Rickie Fowler. After posting a very solid 4-under 68, Fowler has himself in contention entering Friday. Building off a strong close to his round in which he was -3 in the final 4 holes, expect Fowler to card another sub-70 round.
With all the talk surrounding Tiger Woods reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking, the man who held golf's top spot previously is very much in the hunt. No. 2 ranked Rory McIlroy finished his first round at Even par. Battling a hot and cold round all day at Augusta, McIlroy should be able to navigate his way closer to the top by the end of his round Friday.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are two veterans of the game who know what it takes to win at Augusta, with a combined 7 Green Jackets between them. With Woods 4 shots back and Mickelson not far behind at -1, these two champions will almost certainly set themselves up to compete over the weekend by posting sub-par rounds on Friday.
Dark Horse
Keep a close eye on Brandt Snedeker. The 32-year-old's best finish at Augusta was a tie for 3rd back in 2008 but the 2012 FedEx Cup champ is certainly capable of climbing up the 2013 Masters leader board. Only trailing the leaders by 4, Brandt Snedeker will put himself in contention with another solid round on Friday. He'll be a scary name on the board over the weekend as well.
Catch Round 2 of the 2013 Masters on ESPN TV starting at 3 p.m., EDT. If you can't get to a television, Masters.com is offering free live streams throughout the day following various holes and golfer pairings. The on-line coverage begins at 10:45 a.m., EDT.
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