Jordan Spieth, Ryan Palmer Duo Tied for 1st After Round 1 at Zurich Classic 2017

The 2017 Zurich Classic introduced a new layout with 80 two-man teams competing against each other in an alternate-shot format in the first round.

Under the new format, the teams of Kyle Stanley and Ryan Ruffels and Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer are tied for the lead at six-under par. Four teams are directly in their rear-view mirror at five-under par. 

Here's the leaderboard after the first round at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans:

Position	Pairing	Score
T1	Kyle Stanley & Ryan Ruffels	-6
T1	Jordan Spieth & Ryan Palmer	-6
T3	K.J. Choi & Charlie Wi	-5
T3	Ben Martin & Ben Crane	-5
T3	Jonas Blixt & Cameron Smith	-5
T3	Charley Hoffman & Nick Watney	-5
T7	Brian Stuard & Chris Stroud	-4
T7	Steve Stricker & Jerry Kelly	-4
T7	Patrick Reed & Patrick Cantlay	-4

Full leaderboard available via PGATour.com. 

This is Spieth's first appearance since shooting a 75 in the final round at the Masters. He bounced back in a big way on Thursday, along with Palmer, being in prime position to win this tournament for the first time. 

Spieth did have to do some of the heavy lifting, at least on the par-three 14th hole after Palmer's tee shot landed right of the hole and didn't make it onto the green.

Following a successful round on the links, Spieth and Palmer will be a small part of the biggest sporting event on Thursday, per PGA Tour's Mike McAllister:

The Saints own two picks in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, so it will likely be a busy time in the war room. Spieth and Palmer picked the right time to be part of things. 

Ruffels, who is part of the other pair tied for the lead with Stanley, has a chance to make history with a victory this weekend, per Justin Ray of the Golf Channel:

At the age of 17, Ruffels turned pro. He took part in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, getting off to a promising start with a 69 in the first round before finishing 56th after 72 holes. 

Stanley is a seasoned veteran at 29 years old. He also has a win on the PGA Tour at the 2012 Phoenix Open.

Moving down the leaderboard, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler are one of the marquee teams in the Zurich Classic. They didn't get off to a hot start at one-under par, sitting in a tie for 33rd, but there will be an opportunity to make up ground on Friday. 

After the tournament started out in an alternate shot, it will be a four-ball format in the second round. There were plenty of low scores on Thursday, with 51 teams under par, and the move to four-ball will ensure there are a lot more small numbers coming on Friday.