Spieth and Palmer team for early lead

Texans set pace in Zurich Classic with Stanley-Ruffels duo.

Jordan Spieth showed off his stellar short game. Ryan Palmer contributed momentum-saving par putts. They turned out to be quite the team Thursday in the Zurich Classic, the first official team event on the PGA Tour in 36 years.

Spieth hit a bump-and-run from 100 feet to a front pin to set up birdie on the par-5 11th, chipped in for birdie on the 14th and closed out their foursomes round with a 15-foot birdie for a 6-under 66 to share the lead with 18-year-old Ryan Ruffels and Kyle Stanley in Avondale, La.

N i c k Wa t n e y m a d e a 60-foot eagle putt from well off the green at the par-5 18th as he and Charley Hoffman were among four teams at 67.

Even in the tough alternate-shot format, benign conditions at the TPC Louisiana allowed for good scoring with 43 of the 80 teams breaking par, and 18 teams in the 60s.

“Alternate - shot format with these conditions, anything 3 under or so was a solid score,” Spieth said. “Grab a few extra and be in pole position, it’s fantastic.”

Spieth said his partner didn’t miss a shot over the first 10 holes, and Palmer pitched in with key putts. They hit only two of the last seven greens in regulation and still played that stretch in 3 under par.

“It’s great watching his short game,” Palmer said. “It’s one of the best in the world. And when the putter is rolling, it makes it not has hard to make those 5-footers. We both had our fair share, and we poured them in.”

Palmer made a 6-foot par putt on the 13th hole and, after Spieth chipped in on the 14th, Palmer made a 12-foot par putt on the 15th.

Brooks Koepka and his younger brother, Chase, who received a sponsor exemption, were among those at 69.

The cut will be made after fourballs today to the top 35 teams and ties. The winners will each get credit for a PGA Tour victory.

LPGA Tour: Lexi Thompson shot a 2-under 69 on Thursday in her first LPGA Tour round since a rules violation cost her a likely victory in the first major tournament of the year, leaving her four strokes behind leader M.J. Hur in the North Texas LPGA Shootout.

Hur had a bogey-free 65 on a blustery, sunny day at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas. Ariya Jutanugarn and Michelle Wie were a stroke back along with Katherine Kirk, Jennifer Song, Sung Hyun Park, Sandra Changkija and Marina Alex.

European Tour: Alexander Levy shot a 9-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the China Open in Beijing.

The Frenchman, who won the China Open in 2014, c a rd e d ni ne bi rd i e s i n a bogey-free round to finish one stroke ahead of Pablo Larrazabal.