China’s Zhang Xinjun and Dou Zecheng belied their low world rankings and picked off birdies at their final three holes to tie for the lead after the first round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday.
The first two players from China to earn PGA Tour membership looked at home with the game’s elite as they carded 12-under-par 60 in the four ball (best ball) format at TPC Louisiana.
The bespectacled Dou ran in a 30-foot putt for birdie at the last as the pair joined American duo Lucas Glover and Chez Reavie in the lead, while six other teams shot 62.
The only official event on the PGA Tour with a team format, the Zurich Classic uses four ball (best ball) in the first and third rounds, and (alternate shot) foursomes in the second and final rounds. Dou, 21, is ranked 476th in the world.
He became the first player from China to win on the PGA Tour’s secondary Web.com Tour when he captured the Digital Ally Open last year. Zhang, 30, is a two-times PGA Tour China winner, and is that tour’s all-time leading money-winner. He is ranked 301st in the world.
Glover, meanwhile, said he had tried to support his partner’s hot hand by playing somewhat conservatively as he and Reavie tied for the lead.
“There was a stretch there I was trying to do that, trying to hit it to 20 feet and let him hit it to 10 and it really worked,” said the 2009 US Open champion.
“We hit a bunch of good putts and we were reading them right.”
Patrick Reed made a good return to competition in his first start since winning the US Masters three weeks ago as he and partner Patrick Cantlay carded 65.
US Open champion Brooks Koepka, who missed nearly four months due to a torn left wrist ligament, marked his return with a 67 with Marc Turnesa. The shot of the day belonged to American Ron Oppenheim, who holed out from 261 yards with a three-wood at the par-five seventh for an albatross as he and partner Nate Lashley shot 64.


It’s not a skins game, but Rose sheds his slacks anyway
Justin Rose ignored the local alligator population and stripped down to his underwear to hit out of a water hazard at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday.
When the Olympic champion’s tee shot at the par-three third hole finished partly submerged at TPC Louisiana, Rose decided the ball was playable, and bared some skin in an attempt to blast it onto the green.
With partner Henrik Stenson jokingly sticking a hand towards the lens of the nearby TV camera to block the view, Rose shed his slacks, shoes and socks before taking his stance with his right foot in the water, and his left on dry land.
His recovery shot succeeded in finding the green.
Rose perhaps was inspired by Stenson, who nine years ago showed even more skin in a similar attempt to play from a water hazard at a World Golf Championships event at Doral in Florida.
Unlike Rose, Stenson even removed his shirt, leaving himself in just a pair of white underpants before taking his shot.
“My partner showed me what you’ve got to do,” Rose joked. “Remember Doral? He’s not scared of taking his pants off, so he said get in there.”
Rose and Stenson combined to shoot seven-under 65 in the first round of the team event on Thursday.
Rose was more adventurous than American Talor Gooch, who found three alligators nearby after his ball found a bunker at the 18th hole.
Two of the reptiles responded to a nudge from a rake and returned to the adjacent pond, but the third would not budge, which led to a ruling.
Gooch was allowed a free drop in the bunker, but his ball plugged.
He considered that a reasonable outcome under the circumstances.
“I chose life over a good lie in that situation,” he told Golf Channel.

Leading scores after best-ball first round
60-Chez Reavie/Lucas Glover (USA/USA), Zhang Xinjun/Dou Zecheng (CHN/CHN)
62-Tony Finau/Daniel Summerhays (USA/USA), Chris Paisley/Tommy Fleetwood (ENG/ENG), J.J. Henry/Tom Hoge (USA/USA), Michael Kim/Andrew Putnam (USA/USA), Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown (USA/USA), Troy Merritt/Brendon de Jonge (USA/ZIM)
63-Chad Campbell/Matt Jones (USA/AUS), Shane Lowry/Padraig Harrington (IRL/NIR)
64-Jimmy Walker/Sean O’Hair (USA/USA), Alex Cejka/Ben Crane (GER/USA), Russell Knox/Martin Laird (SCO/SCO), Harold Varner/Robert Garrigus (USA/USA), Nate Lashley/Rob Oppenheim (USA/USA), Brice Garnett/Chesson Hadley (USA/USA), Jason Day/Ryan Ruffels (AUS/AUS), Brendan Steele/Jamie Lovemark (USA/USA), Richy Werenski/Nicholas Lindheim (USA/USA), Tyler Duncan/Adam Schenk (USA/USA).