Masters 2022: Top Storylines to Watch for in Round 2 on Friday

Tiger Woods was the talk of Augusta National Golf Club before a hole was even played at the 2022 Masters. 

The 46-year-old brought more intrigue upon himself on Thursday, when he finished with an under-par round in his first competitive tournament in over a year. 

Woods' performance was the main story of the day, but he now has to replicate that on Friday afternoon to make the cut. 

Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are among the names who will try to catch up to Woods and others above the cut line. 

Rahm, Koepka and the other golfers in the morning wave of tee times could have an advantage on Friday since the weather is expected to get worse as the day goes on. 

Sungjae Im's five-under 67 is the score to beat so far in Georgia, but only six players broke 70 during the first round.

Low scores can be had at Augusta, but the course did play tough over the opening 18 holes. 

Tiger Woods opened his first competitive tournament in over a year with a one-under 71. 

The five-time Masters winner is tied alongside Tony Finau, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris and five others in 10th place. 

Woods turned in a better round than the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth, but he has been helped by the ideal set of tee times to rest his body between rounds. He featured in the Thursday morning wave and will tee off at 1:41 p.m. ET on Friday. 

He likely needs to shoot the same score to remain around for the weekend at Augusta National. The cut line will be the top 50 scores and ties. 

Woods won't have the benefit of the weather, though, which is expected to get worse as the afternoon progresses.

According to Weather.com, the wind will pick up to around 20 miles per hour during the afternoon session when the forecast is mostly cloudy.

Woods needs to navigate his physical challenges and the potentially treacherous weather to record a decent score. 

If he makes the cut, it would be an impressive accomplishment following his lengthy spell away from the game. 

A Who's Who of the best players in the world recorded over-par rounds on Thursday. 

Pre-tournament favorite Jon Rahm is among a large group at two over that also includes Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed. 

Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood are part of the contingent at three over, while Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas headline the group a shot further back. 

The projected cut line would be three over if the current scores hold throughout the second round. 

The morning wave of golfers could set the cut line because of the favorable conditions that will welcome them. Rahm, Spieth, Schauffele and Koepka are among the top-tier golfers who are scheduled to tee off before 11 a.m. ET. 

Additionally, first-round leader Sungjae Im and Dustin Johnson in third place are part of the morning wave. 

The potential for lower scores in the morning and early afternoon could stretch out the leaderboard and set a high standard for DeChambeau and others who will tee off after 1 p.m. ET. 

Sungjae Im is in the ideal position to stretch out his advantage on top of the leaderboard. 

The South Korean tees off at 9:39 a.m. ET with playing partners Marc Leishman and Webb Simpson.

Im could take advantage of the favorable conditions to drop a second consecutive under-par score and put more pressure on those further down the leaderboard. 

A year ago, Justin Rose broke out to a four-shot lead with an opening-round 65, but he was brought back into the field after an even-par second round. 

In 2020, Paul Casey and Dylan Frittelli dropped out of the top 10 after they finished in a first-round tie for the lead alongside Dustin Johnson.

Im might be at an advantage to deal with the pressure, though, since he tied for second place two years ago in his first start at Augusta National. 

That experience combined with the favorable conditions could keep the 24-year-old at least toward the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend.