Zurich Classic 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Bad weather in Louisiana forced the first round of this year's Zurich Classic of New Orleans to be delayed for nearly five hours, and darkness led to play being suspended. But Brian Stuard had a blazing start and was able to finish 18 holes to take the lead at eight under par Thursday.

Weather delays at the event are nothing new, as Golf Channel's Justin Ray noted:

Stuard was masterful with eight birdies and no bogeys en route to taking the lead. He will have to be on point when play resumes Friday, because Retief Goosen, who was also able to finish his round, is on his heels at seven under par. 

Here's the leaderboard after play was suspended at the 2016 Zurich Classic:

As is often the case when a player posts a low number, putting was huge for Stuard on Thursday. The PGA Tour tweeted out the Michigan native's putting distances on the front nine:

The numbers only got better for Stuard on the green. He gained 6.4 strokes putting despite hitting only 61 percent of the greens in regulation. 

While there is still a long way to go, Stuard is off to his best start at a PGA Tour event this year. His best round of the season came at the Sanderson Farms Championship in November, when he posted a 65 in the final round.

The 33-year-old has never won on the PGA Tour in his career. His best career finishes were second at the 2010 Mayakoba Golf Classic and 2014 OHL Classic at Mayakoba. 

Goosen was matching Stuard shot for shot, going lower on the front nine (30) than the leader. Coming into the event, Rob Bolton of the PGA Tour's official website noted Goosen ranked in the top 50 in strokes gained putting and scrambling.

Despite those numbers, Goosen has not finished inside the top 10 in eight events this season. He is 47 years old and out of his prime, but with the exception of a 77 in the final round at the Shell Houston Open last month, he's been consistently between 69 and 73 all year. 

Further down the leaderboard, Rickie Fowler got off to a solid start at four under par, which was a nice rebound for the 27-year-old, who started on the back nine, in his first tournament back after missing the cut at the Masters.

Fowler's final birdie before play was suspended came on the third hole, per the PGA Tour:

This has been an erratic season for Fowler thus far. He has five top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments, but he has missed two cuts and finished outside the top 20 two other times. A good performance in New Orleans will go a long way toward righting the ship for the Florida native. 

The weather has been a problem at the tournament many times in the past. Things look clear for the next two days, but Sunday may see more thunderstorms roll into the area, according to the PGA Tour's official website.

While nearly half of the field has yet to finish Round 1, the Zurich Classic is already full of drama. Stuard is trying to do something that he's never done, while Goosen is trying to right the ship after a seven-year winless drought on the PGA Tour.

Stats per PGATour.com.