Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer tied the Zurich Classic record with a 14-under 58, while Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick opened with a 64.
Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer turned the Zurich Classic of New Orleans into a Thursday scoring show.
The American duo matched the tournament record with a blistering 14-under 58 in Four-ball play at TPC Louisiana, grabbing the early lead in the PGA TOUR’s lone official team event.
Smalley and Springer, both still chasing their first TOUR victory, combined aggressive iron play with a hot putter to set the pace before Friday’s Foursomes round.
Smalley helped launch the round immediately. He opened with a birdie at No. 1, then poured in a 19-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second. One hole later, he gave the team another birdie chance by hitting his tee shot inside 7 feet.
From there, the round never really cooled off. Smalley and Springer birdied 10 of their final 14 holes, with Springer delivering the closing burst. He made the team’s final four birdies, including a 36-footer on the par-3 17th that kept the record chase alive.
Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat sit one shot back after a 59. Their round caught fire after Eckroat’s eagle on the par-5 seventh, followed by eight straight birdies.
Sam Stevens and Zach Bauchou, along with Eric Cole and Hank Lebioda, opened with 60s. Billy Horschel, who has won the Zurich Classic in both individual and team formats, stayed in the mix with Tom Hoge after a 61.
Matt Fitzpatrick, coming off his RBC Heritage win, teamed with younger brother Alex Fitzpatrick for an 8-under 64. That left the English brothers six shots off the lead but still firmly in the tournament entering Friday’s alternate-shot format.
The bigger concern belongs to Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka. The decorated pairing opened with a 66 and will likely need a strong Friday push to avoid cut trouble.
The format shifts to Foursomes on Friday, returns to Four-ball on Saturday and closes with Foursomes on Sunday.
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