Norwegian duo fires 10-under to co-lead Zurich Classic after Round 1
Norway's Viktor Hovland and Kristoffer Ventura posted a 10-under 62 on Thursday at the Zurich Classic to share the lead with Brice Garnett and Scott Stallings.
The Norwegian duo, who are former college teammates at Oklahoma State, torched TPC Louisiana in the best-ball format. Ventura surprisingly carried his 15th-ranked teammate by making eight of the team's 10 birdies.
Garnett and Stallings replicated the success of their fellow co-leaders in the afternoon wave. However, they divided the load evenly by carding five birdies apiece.
Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands after Round 1:
| Place | Team | To Par | R1 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Viktor Hovland Kristoffer Ventura |
-10 | 62 |
| T1 | Brice Garnett Scott Stallings |
-10 | 62 |
| T3 | Cameron Champ Tony Finau |
-9 | 63 |
| T3 | Billy Horschel Sam Burns |
-9 | 63 |
| T3 | Keegan Bradley Brednan Steele |
-9 | 63 |
| T3 | K.H. Lee Kyle Stanley |
-9 | 63 |
| T3 | Mark Hubbard Sebastian Cappelen |
-9 | 63 |
| T3 | Louis Oosthuizen Charl Schwartzel |
-9 | 63 |
| T3 | Marc Leishman Cam Smith |
-9 | 63 |
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay shot 8-under to hold a piece of eighth place.
Defending champions Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer carded 65 to sit three off the early lead.
Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff struggled to a 2-under 70. The young stars are in a tie for 70th and one shot ahead of four teams tied for last.
Teams will switch to alternate shot for Friday's round before the cut is made. The top 35 teams - including ties - will advance to the weekend.