Thursday's golf: Reavie-Glover tied for Zurich lead
Avondale, La. — Chez Reavie had quite a few good moments at TPC Louisiana on Thursday. So did teammate Lucas Glover.
In best-ball format, the most important thing was those moments came on different holes.
Reavie and Glover teamed to shoot a 12-under 60 for a share of the Zurich Classic lead with China’s Zhang Xinjun and Dou Zecheng.
“Chez started well and I picked it up in the middle of the back nine,” Glover said. “He closed it off and then we both played really well on the front. Just kind of ham and egged it, I guess, as they would say.”
Reavie and Glover each had six birdies in the best-ball format, pushing through soggy weather early in the round before conditions cleared at TPC Louisiana. Six teams are two shots back in a tie for third after shooting 62.
“We were just rolling,” Reavie said. “I think we’re comfortable. We like to laugh and have a good time when we’re playing golf, and it definitely helps.”
Zhang and Dou birdied four of their final five holes. Dou made a 31-foot putt on No. 9 to cap the impressive rally and jump into the lead with Reavie and Glover.
Tony Finau-Daniel Summerhays, Chris Paisley-Tommy Fleetwood, J.J. Henry-Tom Hoge, Michael Kim-Andrew Putnam, Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Troy Merritt-Brendon de Jonge shot 62. Jason Day and Ryan Ruffels shot 64.
It’s the first time since last year’s Tour Championship that the reigning champs of all four majors have been in the same field. None of them were among the leaders after the first round.
Masters champion Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay had a 65, and British Open winner Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer were at 66.
“I didn’t feel like there was really any rust,” Reed said. “I felt like I hit the ball all right today. I felt I hit some good quality putts. A couple of them went in, a couple of them didn’t.”
This is the second year that two-player teams have competed at the Zurich Classic. The unusual tournament features best-ball play in the first and third rounds and alternate shot in the second and final rounds.
U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and Marc Turnesa shot a 67. PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and Bud Cauley shot a 70.
There are 80 teams in the tournament and the top 35, along with ties, will make the cut after Friday’s second round.
LPGA
Lydia Ko shot a 4-under 68 at the MEDIHEAL Championship for a share of the first-round lead in Daly City, Calif. Jessica Korda, Caroline Hedwall, In-Kyung Kim and Su Oh joined Ko atop the leaderboard in the LPGA Tour’s return to Lake Merced after a year away.
The Swinging Skirts LPGA winner at the course in 2014 and 2015, Ko eagled the par-5 fifth and had four birdies and a bogey. The 21-year-old from New Zealand has 14 LPGA Tour wins, the last in July 2016.
Korda, playing alongside Kim a group ahead of Ko, also eagled the fifth and had four birdies and a bogey. Korda won in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery.
Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Charley Hull and Celine Herbin shot 69.
Europe
Jin Daxing took a one-stroke lead at the China Open after shooting an 8-under 64 in the first round in Beijing.
Jin’s bogey-free round at the Topwin Golf and Country Club included six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 eighth. The 25-year-old Jin is playing in only his eighth European Tour event and has made the cut only once.
Matt Wallace (65) had an eagle-birdie finish to move into a tie for second with Nino Bertasio, who also produced a bogey-free round. Alexander Bjork and Scott Vincent (66) were a further stroke back.
Defending champion Alexander Levy, who won last week’s Trophee Hassan II in Morocco, is in a large group five shots off the lead at 3 under.
Woods is back
Tiger Woods is returning from his post-Masters break at the Wells Fargo Championship next week.
It will be his first time playing at the Quail Hollow Club since he missed the cut in 2012.
Woods won the tournament in 2007.
Woods announced he will be playing consecutive weeks at the Wells Fargo Championship and The Players Championship. It will be the third time since returning from back surgery that he plays back-to-back weeks.
Woods tied for 32nd at the Masters, failing to break par until the final round.
LPGA’s Lewis to be a mom
Stacy Lewis is expecting her first child.
Lewis, a 33-year-old LPGA Tour star, and husband Gerrod Chadwell announced the pregnancy and Nov. 3 due date in an interview with Golfweek.
Lewis opened play Thursday in the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship at lake Merced. She plans to play through the Marathon Classic in July and return for a full season next year.