Heavy rains forced a five-hour delay at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, meaning that only half the field completed their opening rounds on Thursday. Here’s how things looked when darkness halted play for the day, with Brian Stuard atop the standings:
Leaderboard: Brian Stuard (-8), Retief Goosen (-7), J.J. Henry (-5), Derek Ernst (-5), Geoff Ogilvy (-5), Charles Howell III (-5), Patrick Rodgers (-5)
What it means: Play was interrupted for much of the afternoon as storms rolled through, but Stuard was able to set the early mark as he looks for his first win. Leading the chase pack is Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champ who hasn’t won since 2009, while Rickie Fowler (68) and world No. 1 Jason Day (69) remain in the mix after solid starts.
Round of the day: Stuard only has one top-25 finish in six starts this season, but he got going quickly in the Big Easy. Stuard made five front-nine birdies and added three more circles on his inward half, signing for a bogey-free 64 that gave him the overnight lead and marked his lowest score of the season.
Best of the rest: Goosen hasn’t lifted a PGA Tour trophy since the Valspar Championship seven years ago, but the 47-year-old is contending once again after a 7-under 65. Goosen had six birdies en route to a front-nine 30, including three straight birdies on Nos. 7-9 without making a putt over 12 feet.
Biggest disappointment: Anirban Lahiri needs a big result this week to crack the OWGR top 50 in order to earn a spot in the upcoming Players Championship, but those hopes took a big hit when the Indian opened with three bogeys over his first six holes before darkness fell. Lahiri already trails by 11 shots and is currently ahead of only four other players.
Main storyline heading into Friday: It’s going to be a long day for much of the field, as tournament organizers will look to complete the opening round and get as much of the second round completed as possible. Day and Fowler likely will have a tough time completing their rounds before nightfall, but it will be key for both to maintain their current pace in order to climb the standings and remain within striking distance heading into the weekend.
Quote of the day: “It’s under par. That’s all I can really take from it.” - Day