AVONDALE, La. — The first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans turned into exactly what players expected, and exactly what the format invites.
With warm temperatures and bright sunshine in the morning, TPC Louisiana was there for the taking. By the time the afternoon wave wrapped, a steady, swirling breeze blew into the area, adding just enough uncertainty to keep things interesting, but not enough difficulty to slow the scoring pace.
As evening descended in the bayou, Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer topped the leaderboard with a tournament record-tying 14-under 58. The duo made par on Nos. 4, 6, 12 and 14, and either eagled or birdied every other hole on the course, including a birdie run on 15, 16, 17 and 18 to end their day.
“Yeah, four to finish, can’t complain,” Springer said. “Kind of got the putter going there. Then nice to finish off on 18, to get that one, take care of the par-5, especially in this format.”
The blazing end to the round came after a start that was just as hot.
“We both hit good tee shots on one and both had, I don’t know, 15 feet or so (for birdie),” Smalley said. “I just happened to make mine first.”
That early momentum allowed the team to settle into a rhythm that people in New Orleans associate with Jazz Fest, which started Thursday here in the Crescent City.
Behind them, Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat rode a mid-round surge to a 13-under 59, while Sam Stevens and Zach Bauchou and the team of Eric Cole and Hank Lebioda both posted 12-under 60 to stay close heading into Friday’s alternate-shot format.
After that 58, 59 and three of 60s, seven teams posted 61, three shot 62 and 14 teams carded 63.
For Thompson and Eckroat, the round was less about steady, shared momentum.
“I felt like we kind of eased our way into the round,” Thompson said. “Then we just rode the momentum and made a bunch of birdies and also made a nice eagle on seven.”
That same theme played out across the leaderboard, where the four-ball format allowed teams to stay aggressive knowing there was always a second chance.
“This is a format where you can play really freely,” Stevens said. “We have two looks at it on every hole, and that kind of keeps that freedom going.”
Few rounds illustrated that better than Stevens and Bauchou's. Bauchou holed three shots from off the green, including a 40-footer, as the longtime friends leaned on chemistry and confidence to post one of the day’s most memorable scorecards.
In the afternoon, Cole and Lebioda took advantage of similar scoring opportunities, though with slightly trickier conditions as the wind began to swirl.
Their 60 included a late stretch where momentum flipped quickly, highlighted by long putts and a chip-in that helped them climb into a tie for third.
“You know you’ve got to take advantage of the best-ball day,” Eckroat said. “Tomorrow you never know. It’s a lot harder to make birdies in alternate shot.”
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It’s rare for a 66 to be disappointing, but Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka quietly signed their scorecards and left the media area without saying much to anyone. They played with the Fitzpatrick brothers, Matt and Alex, who got things rolling and reached 9 under before making a disappointing bogey on the par-5 18th hole that dropped them to an 8-under 64.
Still, they know that with Friday’s foursomes ahead, things can change in a hurry.