The opening round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana is in the books, and it was a doozy.
Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex got off to a hot start, signing for a best-ball 10-under 62 and were tied for the clubhouse lead when they walked off the golf course.
The unlikely pairing of Keith Mitchell and Sungjae Im, a story you have to read to believe, was another team that crossed the double-digit threshold and finished the day 10 under alongside David Lipsky/Aaron Rai and Henrik Norlander/Luke List.
However, after 18 holes, Beau Hossler/Wyndham Clark and Brandon Matthews/Sean O’Hair lead at 11 under.
If you missed any of Thursday’s action, no worries, have you covered. Here are several takeaways from the first round of the Zurich Classic.
Zurich: Leaderboard | Friday tee times | Photos
Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick walk off the 10th green during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
We’d love to say the Fitzpatrick boys ham and egged it well on Thursday, but they hate that phrase.
“Ham and egg is so American, and we’re from England,” Matt said.
“We dovetailed,” Alex added.
So, we’ll go with that.
The brothers dovetailed it well during the opening four-ball session, firing a 10-under 62. Older brother Matt held the team steady on their front nine — the back nine of TPC Louisiana — making three birdies and in total the Fitzpatricks made the turn with a 4-under 32.
On the back, Alex turned it on. He made four birdies down the closing stretch before Matt added one at No. 8 — their 17th of the day.
“I didn’t play very well (on the front), so it was nice for him to make a few putts and give us a few birdies while I was scrambling around somewhere,” Alex said. “And then yeah, I played nicely on the back nine and I managed to roll in some birdies, which was great, and we kept it together towards the end and finished with a nice score.”
With the format changing to foursomes on Friday, Matt says their strategy has to change.
“Yeah, it’s definitely different,” he said. “For me, foursomes, I think you’re definitely playing less aggressive. You’re plotting your way around more, fairways and greens, and just keeping the bogeys off the card is what’s going to be important tomorrow, I think if we can do that, maybe nick a few, then it’ll be a good day.”
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