2018 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

(The 26th of 44 events in the PGA TOUR Season)

Avondale, La.            April 26-29, 2018                               FedExCup Points: 400 (each)

TPC Louisiana           Par/Yards: 36-36—72/7,425              Purse: $7,200,000/$1,036,800

First-Round Notes – Thursday, April 26, 2018

With the team format beginning in 2017, a change was made at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this year, with the two formats switching rotations. In 2018, rounds one and three in the two-player team event will feature the Four-ball (best ball) format, while the second and fourth rounds will use the Foursomes (alternate shot) format.

The Zurich Classic awards FedExCup points and official money, and counts as an official victory for the members of the winning team.

Weather: After 0.18 inches of rain early in the day, it was sunny with a high of 75. NW wind at 10-15 mph wind, gusting to 20 mph.

First-Round Leaderboard (Four-ball format)

Chez Reavie/Lucas Glover                   60 (-12)

Xinjun Zhang/Zecheng Dou                 60 (-12)

Tony Finau/Daniel Summerhays         62 (-10)

Chris Paisley/Tommy Fleetwood        62 (-10)

J.J. Henry/Tom Hoge                           62 (-10)

Michael Kim/Andrew Putnam            62 (-10)

Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown                   62 (-10)

Troy Merritt/Brendon de Jonge         62 (-10)

Xinjun Zhang/Zecheng Dou

Zhang and Dou, the first two players from China to hold PGA TOUR membership, birdied the final three holes while playing in the final group of the day, to shoot 12-under 60 and share the first-round lead. They are one of 13 teams at the Zurich Classic with both members from the same country.

·       Dou locked up his 2017-18 PGA TOUR membership, helped by a win at the Web.com Tour’s Digital Ally Open in 2017. Dou became the first player from China to win on either the PGA TOUR or Web.com Tour.

·       Dou, 21, has won five times as a professional. He was the 2016 PGA TOUR Series-China Player of the Year.

·       Zhang earned his 2017-18 PGA TOUR card by finishing 20th on the 2017 Web.com Tour Regular Season money list ($186,306).

·       Zhang, 30, is a two-time PGA TOUR China winner. He is also a six-time runner-up on PGA TOUR Series-China and is that international developmental tour’s all-time leading money-winner.

·       In his one season on the Web.com Tour, Zhang had two runner-up finishes—at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open and at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.

·       At the 2017 Safeway Open to start this season, Zhang finished T37, becoming the first-ever full PGA TOUR member from China to play all four rounds in a TOUR event. His T5 at the 2018 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship is his best career result on the PGA TOUR.