Tiger Woods in the hunt, but Leishman, Garcia lead

Marc Leishman shook off early nerves to find himself tied atop the leader board with Sergio Garcia in Thursday’s opening round at the Masters.

Leishman, making only his second appearance in the year’s opening major, rebounded from a bogey at the par-four first with seven birdies to fire an impressive six-under-par 66 at Augusta National.

Garcia went bogey-free to match his best-ever round at the course as he chases his first major championship since turning pro 14 years ago.

Four-time Masters champion and odds-on favorite Tiger Woods — who was watched by his Olympic skier girlfriend Lindsey Vonn — finished with a 70, tied for 13th and four shots off the pace.

While several players took advantage of relatively calm conditions, defending tournament champion Bubba Watson battled to a 75.