'PO Champ' Cantlay and Schauffele "Did you see our combined 13-under 59?"... Im Sungjae starts with "7-under"

'2-Person Team Battle' Zurich Classic Day 1: 1 Eagle and 11 Birdies 'Power', World No.1 Schauffele 8-Under 'Chase'

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele combined for a 13-under 59 on the first day of the Zurich Classic 'Two-Person Team Battle'. Avondale, USA=Getty Images/Multivitz Photo by Getty Images

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] '13 under par 59 strokes.'

The perfect match between 'Playoff (PO) champ' Patrick Cantlay and 'Tokyo Olympics gold medalist' Xander Schauffele. On the 22nd (Korean time), at the Louisiana Golf Club in Avondale, Louisiana, USA (par 72, 7,425 yards), the first day of the PGA Tour's '2-man team battle' Zurich Classic (total prize money $8.3 million), they combined for 13 under par and instantly took the top spot on the leaderboard. The format continues with 1st and 3rd rounds as Four-ball (each player plays their own ball and the better score counts), and 2nd and 4th rounds as Foursomes (two players alternate shots with one ball).

With one eagle and 11 birdies, Cantlay contributed 7 under par and Schauffele 6 under par, showing a clear division of roles. The highlight was the birdie on the 17th hole (par 3). Both players missed the green, but Cantlay chipped in from 13 yards for birdie, and added a '2-on 2-putt' birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5), ultimately recording a '59'. Moreover, Cantlay was in a frustrated state after losing in the first playoff hole to Jordan Spieth on the final day of the RBC Heritage on the 18th.

Cantlay is a major draw who won four times last year. These include the Zozo Championship in October 2020 (counted in the 2021 season), the Memorial Tournament in June 2021, the BMW Championship in August (the 2nd PO event), and the Tour Championship in September (the final 3rd PO event). At the BMW Championship, he notably secured the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after a six-hole sudden death battle with 'The Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau, and hit the '15 million dollar (1.86 billion KRW) jackpot' at the Tour Championship. This season, he has finished runner-up twice, so his first win is urgently awaited.

Defending champions Cameron Smith and Mark Leishman competed to defend their Zurich Classic title. Avondale (USA) = Getty Images / Multivitz

Matthew NeSmith and Taylor Moore are in 2nd place (12 under par 60 strokes), while three teams including Tommy Gainey and Robert Garrigus are tied for 3rd place (11 under par 61 strokes). It is interesting that Garrigus has recently attracted attention as the first to join the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF)-led Super Golf League (SGL). The SGL is challenging the PGA Tour by recruiting world stars with a total league prize fund of $255 million (316.7 billion KRW), a 'money feast.'

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Ryan Palmer (both USA) are tied for 17th place (8 under par 64 strokes). They have won four of the last six tournaments, including the Phoenix Open in February, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Dell Match Play in March, and the Masters (major) in April, dominating various formats and seemingly on a 'rampage.' This time, they are aiming for the 'team battle victory.'

Defending champions Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman (both Australia) are tied for 28th place (7 under par 65 strokes), challenging to defend their title. 'Number 2' Collin Morikawa (USA) and Viktor Hovland (Norway), as well as the 'K Brothers' Im Sung-jae (24) and An Byeong-hun (30), have joined this group. South Korea's Kang Sung-hoon (35, both CJ Logistics) is performing well in 9 under par tied for 9th place with John Huh (USA), and Noh Seung-yul (32) is also tied for 9th with Michael Kim (USA). Bae Sang-moon (36) and Danny Lee (New Zealand) are tied for 46th place (6 under par 66 strokes).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.