Jordan Spieth may have landed Zurich Classic partner Ryan Palmer via a lost bet last year , but don't let that fool you. The duo was one of the favorites coming in this week, and they showed why on Thursday in Round 1 in New Orleans. Spieth and Palmer shot a 6-under 66 to tie the lead set early on by Kyle Stanley and Ryan Ruffels at 6 under.
Spieth and Palmer had a clean card with 12 pars and six birdies. After keeping their heads above water on the front nine with a 2-under 34, Palmer and Spieth laid waste to the second nine.
"It was nice," Spieth said. "The short game was letting me down just a bit to start this year compared to where I kind of hold myself accountable. But Ryan really got us started. He didn't miss a shot. I think he missed two all day, and he didn't miss a shot for the first 10 holes."
There are no bad tee shots when @JordanSpieth is your teammate.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/tNglpAckAL
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 27, 2017
Their closing run including two birdies in the last three holes and three in the last five. The Texas twosome, which on Wednesday noted that 5 under would be a good score, used a nice yin and yang of leaving each other the right yardages and correcting the other player's mistakes (like this one on No. 14 when Spieth chipped in).
"I had a pretty straightforward pitch here, had to be aggressive into the grain," Spieth said. "Rolled out with nice pace. It was actually a bonus for it to drop, and then pretty fun to be able to celebrate that shot with three guys instead of normally just with your caddie."