They came together for a variety of different reasons, and enjoyed varying degrees of success (or otherwise) but they all seemed to share a common view. The 80 pairs competing in the Zurich Classic, the first official team event on the US PGA Tour in 36 years, welcomed the opportunity of playing a new format – with an old mate, a new friend or just a colleague whose game and temperament suited their own.
The partnership of Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer, close friends who live in Dallas, took root late last year when Palmer's caddie, James Edmondson, said they would have to play together if Edmondson beat Spieth in a friendly match. He got Spieth on the last hole, and Spieth decided to add the Zurich Classic to his schedule.
A good decision as it turned out, because they shared the lead after a six-under 66 in the alternate-shot format first round, with Ryan Ruffels and Kyle Stanley. Ruffels, who turns 19 tomorrow (Saturday), was an amateur in Australia when he played with Stanley at the Australian Masters. They got along well, are now represented by the same management firm, and decided to play together in New Orleans.
The high-profile duo of Zurich ambassadors Rickie Fowler and Jason Day could manage just three birdies. Two late bogeys – including at the sixth when Fowler found the water with his tee shot -- sent them down the leaderboard en route to a one-under 71. “I think we played a lot better than the actual score itself,” said Day.
It was a roller-coaster round for the two Olympic medallists, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who were two-over on the par-fives in shooting an even-par 72. “We played pretty good, I’d say, but we made a mess out of the par-fives,” said Stenson.
Geoff Ogilvy finished off a three-under 69 with Ian Poulter by holing a putt from just inside seven metres. “It was nice to do that because we hadn’t holed a lot of putts during the day, but we hit a lot of good golf shots,” said Poulter.
Champions Tour players Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly started off hot, five-under through their first eight holes, before cooling off. Their combined age is 100, the oldest in the field.
Other selected teams: Alex Cejka- Søren Kjeldsen 70; Kyle Reifers-Andrew “Beef” Johnston 71; Martin Flores-Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño 72; Daniel Berger-Thomas Pieters 73; Bubba Watson-J.B. Holmes 73.
